Making Ends Meet
by andthestorytellerssay
Summary: The summer after Blaine graduates, Kurt's excited about finally having Blaine move to NYC with him, but after Rachel moves out and sticks them both with the rent, they end up finding the solution to their money problem in the most unlikely of places: Sebastian Smythe. (Eventual Sebklaine.)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Glee.  
**

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

It's loud to the point of being almost deafening as Kurt drags Blaine through the throngs of people–honestly how the hell can Brittany _know_ so many freaking people?-trying to get them both outside to some sort of relative peace.

The party is over the top in a way that only Brittany ever seems to be able to achieve, and it would be tacky if it wasn't so innately _Brittany_. Kurt tows Blaine past at least two couples doing body shots, one girls who's already so drunk that she's taken off her top, and he's pretty sure that someone has managed to wrap Lord Tubbington completely in pink and green streamers, before they they finally make it outside.

Kurt takes a deep breath of clean air as he steps out onto the porch and pulls Blaine tightly into his arms. It's the first chance they've really gotten to be alone since Kurt's plane got in that morning, so he's ready for any private time with Blaine as he can get, even if _private_ in this context means hiding away on the less crowded porch of Brittany's _Hey Look, Guys. I Finally Graduated_ party.

"I missed you _so _much," Kurt breathes against the side of Blaine's hair, the curls now free from their gelled prison after one too many drinks got Blaine loosened up enough to dance and sweat away some of the gel.

Blaine's quick to smile widely and tighten his arms around his boyfriend's waist. "I missed you, too." His voice gets impossibly brighter and he pulls back to bounce on the balls of his feet as his smile widens. "And now I'll never have to miss you again!"

Kurt answers with a bright, easy peal of laughter and kisses Blaine quickly on the lips. "Now you never have to miss me again," he repeats. His lips twitch down in concern and Blaine cocks his head to the side, his eyes dimming at Kurt's apparent change in mood, but Kurt's quick to soothe. "I'm so excited to be starting our life together," And God if Blaine's face lights up into a smile that could give the sun a run for its money, and Kurt can't help but lean forward and kiss him.

He breathes a dramatic sigh against Blaine's lips. "I just wish that there wasn't the distinct possibility that we'll have to start our lives together living in a box in Central Park."

Blaine huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "I'm sure we're not going to end up in a box, sweetheart." He kisses Kurt on the lips and earns himself a small smile. "But, even if we did. There's no one else I'd rather share a box with than you, Mr. Hummel."

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt says softly, shaking his head in wonderment.

"I love you, too," Blaine answers with a wide smile that quickly turns conspiratorial. "And just think, with Rachel moving out, we're going to have an apartment all to ourselves."

Well, there's a fun thought, Kurt realizes. With all the worry about how in the hell they're going to pay rent on the tiny apartment while balancing school and work as well as grocery shopping and all the other domestic tasks, he'd overlooked the fact that an apartment he was supposed to share with Blaine and Rachel minus the _Rachel_ just left himself and Blaine...in an empty apartment.

No parents, no curfews, just uninterrupted alone time. Suddenly, everything feels just a little less dramatic as he considers all the surfaces in the house he and Blaine can defile. He rocks forward and decides to silently let Blaine in on his train of thought, kissing him on the lips in a way that's a little awkward because they're both giggling like twelve year olds, but completely perfect nonetheless as kissing Blaine always seems to be.

"Well, isn't this cute..."

Kurt's spine stiffens and he moves minutely to stand in front of Blaine defensively as he recognizes the smug voice. "What the hell do you want, and why in god's name to you have the audacity to try and talk to us about it?"

"Settle down, princess," Sebastian dismisses with a wave of his hand. "I know you hate me, and trust me, I don't care much for you either," Blaine opens his mouth to speak, but Sebastian cuts him off. "but I overheard Streisand Jr. inside talking about moving out and worrying about how the two of you pretty ponies are going to pay the rent without her-"

"And where exactly does that concern you?" Kurt asks snidely, crossing his arms.

"Well, through an unfortunate circumstance, I'm pretty much in the same boat right now," Sebastian confesses, shifting his weight awkwardly and looking down at his feet as he kicks at the wood of the patio.

Kurt can't help his curiosity, and before he realizes it, he finds himself asking, "What happened?"

Defensiveness flashes in Sebastian's eyes and he squares his shoulders. "If you must know. I told my father that I didn't want to be a lawyer and dropped out of law school, so he got pissed and took my money away."

Blaine steps out from behind Kurt and glares at Sebastian, unmoved by his story. "So, what is it that you want, Sebastian?"

"You guys need another roommate. I need a place to stay-"

Kurt throws his head back and laughs, shaking his head as he opens his mouth to speak only to be cut off by Sebastian lifting his hand and asking, "Hear me out," so Kurt crosses his arms and looks on in disbelief and amusement.

"I have no intention of trying to be friends—or even _like—_either of you. I'd be there as little as possible, believe me. This makes sense. You guys need a roommate to pay the rent, and I make just enough to scrape together the money to pay the rent for the charming little shitbox apartment that I'm sure you two have."

Suddenly, Kurt can see that, as much as he might hate it, Sebastian does have a point. They do need someone to help pay the rent, and someone who would be in the apartment as little as possible was _definitely _a plus. Blaine is apparently on the same track.

"You'd have the rent money _on_ the third?"

"Yeah. That wouldn't be a problem. I'd pay for my own food-"

"You're damn right you would," Kurt adds petulantly, and he hates the fact that he's actually considering this. He turns around to see Blaine's face is contemplative and resigned. They'd talked about needing a roommate to make ends meet, but neither of them ever expected for Sebastian to be a likely candidate. Admittedly, it would make sense. They knew Sebastian, and even though he was an insufferable asshole, the odds of him turning out to be an ex-con or some kind of a drug dealer with ties to the mob were slim to nil.

With a resigned sigh, Kurt rolls his eyes. "I'm going to regret this more than I've ever regretted anything in my entire life; I'm sure of it. Be in Blaine's driveway on September first at noon. If you're not there at exactly noon, we're leaving without you."

Sebastian crosses his arms, looking very much like a moody brat. "Fine."

"Fine."

Kurt takes Blaine's hand to drag him back toward the party, suddenly not as interested in privacy as much as getting the hell away from Sebastian, and he can't help but wonder if he has any idea what he's just gotten himself and Blaine into.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

They were brutal about deciding what would be going to New York with them and what, for the sake of conserving what little space they have, would be left behind. What little Blaine actually ends up bringing barely even fills the back of the rental car. The only thing Blaine absolutely insists on coming with them is the comforter from his bed, saying, "Kurt, the first time we ever made love was on this blanket, and I want to have it to put on our bed in our home." And really, how could Kurt argue with that. He kissed Blaine and stuffed the blanket into the trunk.

As they stand in his driveway, Blaine is literally bouncing on his toes as Kurt loads the last box into the trunk of the car and shuts it. Kurt turns to face him just in time for Blaine to grab his face and plant a messy, smacking kiss on his lips. "We're really doing this, aren't we? This is really happening," Blaine gushes. "I'm moving to New York City to live with my amazing boyfriend."

The smile that lights up Blaine's face is enough to take Kurt's breath away and render him speechless, because _My God, this _is_ really happening, isn't it?_ They survived the year apart and ended up _here_. The car is packed, goodbyes have been said, and a tiny apartment with their names _literally _on it is waiting for them, ready for them to start their lives together in.

He leans forward to kiss Blaine's smile, and he's sure that nothing could possibly spoil this moment.

"Jesus, is this what I have to look forward to?"

Okay, maybe he was wrong. Moment effectively spoiled.

"If you don't like it, then you can go find somewhere else to live." Kurt bites out, leveling a glare at Sebastian and leaning forward to press a soft kiss against Blaine's lips out of spite. "I've very sorry if seeing actual human affection makes you break out in hives."

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Just try and keep your tongue in your mouth, princess. I don't need to see you playing tonsil hockey with the hobbit," he mutters, throwing his bag in the backseat of the SUV before climbing in after it.

They're actually making pretty good time, making it a ways into Pennsylvania before stopping to eat. Sebastian jumps silently out of the car when they stop at the little truck stop slash diner, leaving Kurt alone to wake Blaine up.

"Blaine, sweetheart," Kurt says, leaning across the console to shake his boyfriend's shoulder. "Honey, wake up. We're going to get something to eat."

Blaine stirs and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. His voice is thick with sleep when he says, "I'm sorry. I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"It's fine, honey," Kurt laughs.

"No, I shouldn't have fallen asleep, but I just couldn't stand the awkward silence anymore," Blaine admits.

And God, was it ever awkward. Kurt can't remember a time before today that he's ever gone five hours without so much as making a sound. The radio was playing in the background, but it was so awkward that he couldn't even bring himself to sing along, so eventually he just turned the damn thing off and listened to the sound of the road under the tires and willed the trip to go faster.

"You're fine, Blaine. I wish _I_ could go to sleep," Kurt laughs, taking advantage of the fact that they're alone to press a kiss against Blaine's lips, still warm from sleep. "Come on, let's go inside before he tells the waitress to spit in our drinks."

Kurt smiles and kisses Blaine chastely on the lips.

Dinner was just as awkward as the rest of the trip had been so far. Sebastian ate his hamburger in absolute silence on the other side of the table, glaring petulantly at his plate as he chewed, and Kurt couldn't help the little spark of vindictive happiness that came from seeing the boy so clearly miserable and uncomfortable.

By the time they piled back in the car, Sebastian's pissy mood seemed to have gotten worse. He mumbled something that sounded like, "rather sleep than listen to you." and laid down across the backseat, his head pillowed on his jacket.

Kurt took advantage of the fact that Sebastian was asleep to let his own mood perk up a little, talking in hushed whispers to Blaine about all the things he was going to love about the city and all the things he couldn't wait to show him until Blaine was bouncing in his seat, his eyes dancing with excitement.

Their conversation had just shifted from last week's episode of Top Chef to what they thought was going to happen on this week's episode of America's Next Top Model when Kurt noticed that Blaine was still bouncing in his seat.

"What in the hell is the matter with you?" Kurt asks with a laugh.

"I have had to pee for over an hour. I was trying to hold it, but we _really_ need to stop," Blaine says in a breath, narrowing his eyes when Kurt laughs at him again.

Kurt's eyes flick to the gas gauge and he sighs, "We should stop for gas soon anyway."

"Very soon," Blaine urges.

"I told you not to get the twenty ounce energy drink, Blaine," Kurt calls after him as Blaine all but tears the door from the hinges on his way out of the car. Kurt laughs and climbs out much more unhurriedly, reaching to his back pocket and pulling out his wallet to swipe his debit card at the pump before leaning back against the side of the car with a thump as the tank fills.

The car rocks behind him and he hears mumbling through the open windows before the sleepily dazed voice turns angry and starts swearing. Kurt rolls his eyes as the back door opens and Sebastian steps out.

"It's eight o'clock!" Sebastian snaps, slamming the door behind him.

"Well spotted," Kurt retorts, rolling his eyes again but getting some measure of satisfaction from the way Sebastian's face flushes even redder with rage and annoyance.

Sebastian isn't finished. "I told Blaine to wake me up at seven!"

"Then why the hell are you yelling at _me_?" Kurt asks coolly, returning the pump to its dock and turning to walk back toward the driver's door. Truthfully, he hadn't heard Sebastian be asked to be woken up, and he was sure Blaine hadn't either.

Sebastian sputters for a moment and Kurt almost laughs, but Blaine walks up and hands him a bottle of Diet Coke and kisses him on the cheek with a quiet, "What's going on?"

"You forgot to wake up sleeping beauty and now he's pissed," Kurt says flatly, gesturing toward where Sebastian seems to be gearing up to lay into Blaine. Kurt holds up his hand. "If you say one more word, so help me god, I will leave you right here, and you can walk to New York for all I care. Now shut up, and get in the damn car."

Blaine stifles a laugh and Sebastian levels him with a glare that only serves to make Blaine's shoulders shake harder, but apparently, Sebastian takes Kurt's treat seriously enough and wrenches open the door before climbing back inside, mumbling to himself angrily as he slams the door. He's just putting in his earphones as Kurt and Blaine get back in the car, and Kurt feels emboldened by his recent show of dominance, so he turns on the radio and coaxes Blaine to sing with him the rest of the way back to New York as Sebastian sleeps in the backseat.

It's just before midnight by the time they make it back to Kurt's apartment and start unloading the car. Sebastian grabs his bag and stalks up the stairs. Luckily, it only takes about two trips with Kurt and Blaine carrying everything before they're carrying the last of Blaine's things up the stairs to put inside the apartment as Sebastian sits in the hallway outside the front door, leaning against the wall while he plays a game on his iPhone, pointedly ignoring both of them.

Kurt sets his box right inside the door and takes the lamp from Blaine's hand to set beside it before holding out his hand to stop Blaine from going inside, his lips turning up into a coy smile.

"Kurt, what are you..." Blaine's words cut off with a bright, surprised giggle as Kurt literally sweeps him off his feet and carries him over the threshold. Sebastian rolls his eyes and stands up to follow the pair inside, standing with his arms crossed in the doorway as Kurt sets Blaine on his feet and gives him a quick kiss.

Kurt's face hardens as he turns to Sebastian. "I suppose you want the tour. Fine."

There really isn't much to show. The apartment is mainly one big room with two small bedrooms and a handkerchief-sized bathroom. Kurt stands still as he gestures around the apartment.

"That's the kitchen; buy and eat your own food," he starts, his voice flat and cold. "This is the living room. Put your feet on my coffee table, and you die." He points toward the tiny hallway that contains the bedrooms on either side and the bathroom at the end. "Mine and Blaine's room is on the left. Under no circumstances are you to so much as even knock on the door." He points toward the left side of the hallway. "You get Rachel's old room. Do whatever you want with it."

Blaine, clearly uncomfortable with the charged tension crackling between the two boys, squeezes Kurt's hand briefly before heading over to start unpacking boxes, but Kurt continues. He wants to get his spiel out of the way so that he doesn't have to talk to Sebastian again for the rest of the night.

"The rent's due on the third of the month. I'll break down your expenses and stick the paper to the fridge. Before you leave for work, or whatever it is that you do, leave all the money on the kitchen table, because I always pay the rent on my way home," Kurt finishes, wasting no time crossing the small dining room to take the knick-knack out of Blaine's hand and set it on the table before taking the freed hand and, with a brief, possessive glare to Sebastian, dragging Blaine toward their bedroom.

A few hours later, the sound of a muted thud followed swiftly by harsh swearing pulls Kurt and Blaine from the brink of content, sated sleep. They slide their underwear back on and go to investigate, Blaine peeking out of the doorway and Kurt standing just barely out in the hall.

The sight of Sebastian struggling with a queen sized mattress along with the mental picture of him wrangling it up three flights of stairs is so perfect that Kurt almost giggles and claps his hands together. Sebastian shoots them a glare and barks, "Aren't you two going to help me?"

Blaine crosses his arms and smirks as he answers, "Oh yeah, of course, Sebastian. We'd be happy to help you just as much as you helped us."

God, Kurt's positive he's never been more attracted to Blaine than he is in this moment. He takes Blaine's hand and lets himself be dragged back to bed, sleep all but forgotten, because damn it, right now, Blaine deserves to be rewarded.

The next morning finds Kurt sitting at the table watching the sunlight play through the huge windows (the selling point of the entire apartment) as he drinks his coffee and waits for Sebastian to crawl out of bed. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait long before the tall boy emerges from his bedroom, clad in a pair of blue cotton pajama bottoms and scratching at his sleep mussed hair.

"Good, you're up."

"It's early..." Sebastian croaks, his voice rough with sleep.

"Again, well spotted. Sit." Kurt points the the chair opposite him. Sebastian pours a cup of coffee before grudgingly accepting the seat. Kurt slides a piece of paper across the table and watches Sebastian examine it with bleary eyes. "It's the roommate agreement."

"I can see that," Sebastian says sharply, picking up the paper to examine it further.

"It's all fairly straight forward. I tried to make it easy for you to understand." Sebastian lifts his eyes to level Kurt with an icy glare, but Kurt continues unfazed. "Rule number one: Never talk to myself or Blaine unless it is an emergency."

"Pretty sure I'm getting the better end of the deal with that one," Sebastian quips.

"Rule number two: Never knock on our bedroom door. There's will never be a reason that it would ever be okay to bother us in our bedroom, so don't do it." Sebastian's eyes scan the paper and he opens his mouth to argue.

"What the hell is this? 'No randoms in the apartment after midnight'?" He asks indignantly. "Do I look like I'm fifteen?"

"I don't care how old you look. You're not bringing strangers into this apartment after midnight. The kind of trash you'd bring home would probably rob us blind."

"No, that's ridiculous." He shakes his head and points to the paper. "I'll agree to not bring anyone back after _two_, but midnight is ridiculous."

"I'll give you one o'clock, but no later. I'm not going to stay up all night worrying that some twink you bring home is going to murder me if I fall asleep," Kurt says coldly.

Sebastian seems to think about it for a bit before he nods curtly. "Fine."

Kurt makes a quick amendment to the agreement and sets the pen back down. "Last rule. And this one is the most important. If it's not yours, don't touch it. That means _anything _from cups and plates, to food and drinks, and most importantly, my boyfriend."

A smirk lifts Sebastian's lips and Kurt has to fight not to go across the table and slap him to the floor. "What if Blaine _wants_ me to touch something that doesn't belong to me?"

"You've got a snowball's chance in _hell_ of Blaine letting you anywhere near him," Kurt answers with a derisive snort.

"We'll see, princess," Sebastian says with another of his trademark smirks.

Kurt balls up his fists in his lap and speaks through clenched teeth. "Just sign the damn agreement."

Sebastian laughs and signs the paper.

He no more than finishes his name before Kurt snatches the paper and magnets it to the fridge, eager to be done with the exchange. He just wants to get back to bed with Blaine and studiously ignore the smirky meerkat they're forced to endure until they can save up enough money to kick him out on his well-used ass.

Kurt crosses the kitchen to pour a second cup of coffee to take to Blaine and leaves, slamming his door with just a little bit harder than necessary only seconds before he hears Sebastian's door slam with equal force. He smiles as he entertains the notion that maybe he ruined Sebastian's morning.

The thought cheers him up and pushes away the last of his annoyance as he crosses the room to climb into bed beside his beautiful boyfriend, setting the mugs on the nightstand and accepting with a smile the fact that the coffee is going to be ice cold by the time either of them get to it.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

With all the last minute running around left to be done before school starts, Kurt barely gets a chance to see Blaine for more than the few perfect minutes in the mornings when he brings Blaine in a cup of coffee and wakes him up right before his alarm is set to go off. It's their time to just _be_, even if it's just for a couple minutes before the day really starts.

By the time school starts and everyone is operating on different schedules, Kurt is lucky to see Blaine at all before he has to leave for work—Blaine going directly from school to his new job at the music shop on the corner and Kurt only having enough time to come home and change into his work uniform before heading off to second shift at the diner. Blaine is almost always asleep when he gets home at midnight, and it's usually all Kurt can do to kick his shoes off and fall face down on the bed, completely exhausted.

The three occupants of the apartment come and go busily—Kurt and Blaine rushing off to work or school, and Sebastian going wherever the hell it is he goes during the day, and what little time they're actually under the same roof, they're holed up in their separate bedrooms, the main living area of the apartment going wholly untouched except for the small kitchen, but even then meals are prepared and immediately taken back to one of the two bedrooms.

Kurt can count on one hand the amount of times he's even _seen_ Sebastian wandering around. He hears him come in every night, and sometimes there's someone with him and other times he's alone, but Kurt's probably only actually _seen_ him twice in the week and a half they've been living together. Not that he's complaining.

When Kurt first moved in to the apartment last year, his favorite part was that, despite the fact that the apartment itself was the relative size of a shoebox, it had always felt _open._ He had always felt free and comfortable in the space, but now something about that openness was gone, leaving behind a sense of claustrophobia that seems to seep down into his bones.

He goes to school and comes home to do homework on his bed. He cooks dinner for himself and Blaine and takes it back to their bedroom. The two of them watch TV in their bedroom, read in their bedroom, _live_ in their bedroom. In short, Kurt is getting pretty damn sick of their bedroom.

And apparently, by the end of the second week, Blaine's gotten sick of it too.

They're doing homework on their bed on one of their rare days off together, when, out of the blue, Blaine throws his pen down onto the comforter and slams his textbook. "Damn it! This is completely ridiculous!" he snaps. "Are we really going to live in our bedroom just so that we can avoid running into Sebastian?"

Kurt looks up toward Blaine's face and shrugs noncommittally.

Even though he's sick of seeing the same four walls, it's better than the alternative of having to see Sebastian milling about. He's even gotten good at pretending that Sebastian doesn't even exist. He deludes himself into believing that each time he hears the soft snick of a door closing in the apartment that it's just the air conditioner kicking on or the ice maker working.

He pretty much lives in denial, because he's sure that the day he truly realizes that he and Blaine share an apartment with Sebastian _freaking_ Smythe is the day he commits a homicide, and Kurt Hummel would _not_ look good in an orange jumpsuit.

Blaine keeps speaking as he gathers up his books and grabs Kurt's hand.

"Come on. This is _our_ apartment, and I'm not going to let him keep us prisoners in our own home," Blaine rants, his voice strong and determined.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going into the living room and watch TV, and he's not going to stop us," Blaine answers, a defiant smile lifting the corners of his lips, and Kurt doesn't point out that, in order to stop them, Sebastian would first have to come out of his own bedroom, which Kurt is pretty sure won't happen. The door is closed when Blaine drags Kurt through the hallway, and Kurt suddenly realizes that he has no idea whether or not Sebastian is even home.

They've been sitting on the couch for an hour watching the news when Kurt hears the sound of keys jingling in the door and frowns.

"This is our apartment, and we have just as much right to this space as he does," Blaine reminds softly as the door opens and Sebastian comes walking in carrying a grocery bag and kicks off his shoes.

Surprise flickers across his face momentarily before he schools his expression back to its usual level of charming smugness and crosses through the living room on his way to his bedroom without casting another glance toward where Kurt and Blaine are cuddled on the couch. He shuts his door and it's the last they see or hear from him for the rest of the night.

**—**

It's incredibly difficult to focus on getting the key in the lock with Blaine doing his damnedest to make Kurt's brain short circuit.

"Since we don't have any classes on Monday and by some miracle, neither of us have to work," Blaine murmurs between kisses to the rapidly warming skin of Kurt's neck. "I was thinking we could spend that whole day in bed."

And, good lord, that sounds like the best idea Kurt has ever heard in his entire life. Blaine breathes out a laugh as Kurt fumbles with the keys, barely stopping them from falling to the floor by pinning them against the door with his knee. He swats playfully at Blaine's shoulder as he finally manages to get the door open.

Kurt frowns as his plans to crowd Blaine against the refrigerator and kiss him until he's knees shook are derailed by the fact that Sebastian is sitting at the kitchen table with papers spread out around him, and for one brief moment, Kurt considers carrying out his plan anyway. To Hell with Sebastian.

Instead he finds himself lacing his fingers with Blaine's and pulling him toward the kitchen to set their bags down on the counter and absently quipping, "So, Twinkpunzel can leave her tower after all," as he unloads the bags.

"I thought we agreed 'no talking'." Sebastian doesn't even look up from whatever he's doing, his voice bored and distracted.

Kurt takes a can of green beans from Blaine and stretches up to put them in the cupboard. "No, I said, _you_ can't talk to _us_," Kurt answers, turning around now and crossing his arms as he fixes his eyes on Sebastian. "And you broke the agreement last night anyway. I specifically said-"

"No randoms after 1 A.M.," Sebastian finishes, looking up and offering his answers in his usual condescending tone. "I know, princess. I'm not an idiot. He wasn't a random. We met in a club a couple weeks before I moved in. He's my boyfriend."

And Kurt's not sure whose jaw hits the floor first, Blaine's or his own, but it's Blaine who recovers his ability to speak first. "_You_," He points toward Sebastian. "_You_ have a _boyfriend?_"

Sebastian crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. "Don't act so fucking shocked, but yeah."

Kurt and Blaine are still frozen and trying to process that there is someone somewhere in the city who willingly subjects himself to Sebastian's presence without punching him in the face.

The interest has faded from Sebastian's eyes and he hunches back over the paper in front of him. "And last night he kicked over my lamp, and now it's too dark in my room to see, so if you're done, I'd like to get back to what I was doing."

Kurt grabs two plates from the cabinet and their bag from the deli before nodding once in Sebastian's direction and leading Blaine toward the living room. It's still a little awkward sharing the space with Sebastian, but it seems to be getting easier at least under the unspoken rule of "You don't bother me, and I won't bother you."

By the end of the night, about an hour after Blaine fell asleep against his side, Kurt hears the sound of papers rustling from the kitchen table and is surprised to find that he'd completely forgotten that Sebastian was even there.

Sebastian nods curtly toward the couch before disappearing into his room, and Kurt thinks that maybe, just maybe, if they can keep this up, the whole living with Sebastian thing might just be tolerable.

It's less than a week later before everything falls to Hell again.

Kurt's stretched out on the couch almost asleep and Sebastian is in the armchair reading when Blaine comes in, and Kurt knows by the way Blaine throws his bag down on the floor the moment he walks through the door that something is wrong.

He rubs his eyes as he sits up and looks toward the door, unsettled by the way a scowl has etched itself onto Blaine's features. He lifts himself from the couch to approach Blaine. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

Sebastian looks up from his book and glances between the pair before shrugging and going back to his reading, seemingly content to ignore both of them.

"I'll tell you what's the matter!" Blaine snaps, and Kurt rocks back on his heels from the sharp tone of Blaine's raised voice. The smaller boy digs in his messenger bag and pulls out a three-ring binder that Kurt recognizes as his own. "You put _your_ notebook in _my _bag, and I didn't have my music today, so I got to look like an _asshole_ in front of my professor, and then I was late for work, because I had to scramble to put something together for my assignment, so got bitched at for hours on end about how I'm not a 'team player', because I didn't show up to work on time."

Kurt's spine stiffens as he gets defensive. "I'm sorry you had a bad day, but Blaine, you were the one who packed your things in your bag last night. It's not my-"

"If you hadn't left your goddamn notebook lying on top of my stuff then we wouldn't have this problem! I swear to god, Kurt, it's like every time I turn around in this apartment, you've got a new way of 'organizing' everything, and I can never keep up with it, so whenever you rearrange everything things like _this_ happen." He held up the notebook for demonstration before throwing it to the floor.

"Blaine, where is this coming from?" Kurt asks, his voice raising with shock and confusion, because he's never seen his calm even-tempered boyfriend act this way, and he's certainly never yelled at him like this before.

Blaine growls in frustration before pointing directly in Kurt's face. "It's coming from the fact that I work my ass off trying to get enough to cover my portion of the rent, and you can't even be bothered to give me any sort of say in _anything_ that goes on around here, because it's either your way or _no_ way," Blaine shouts in his tirade. "And when I start to get used to the goddamn coffee cups being in the cabinet to the _left _of the sink, I go to get one only to find that you've decided that they belong in the cabinet on the _right _side of the sink!"

"What are you talking about, Blaine? What in the hell do _coffee cups _have to do with you taking the wrong notebook to class?" Kurt's yelling back now, frustrated tears pricking at his eyes, and Blaine laughs without humor.

"I'm talking about the fact that you have free reign over _everything_, and the way you police the apartment is fucking insane, Kurt!"

"_Police?_" Kurt snaps back in disbelief. "I _police_ the apartment? If I left it to you the place would be a hellhole! I'm barely ever here, because _I work too, Blaine, _and when I come home, you're already asleep, so I have to clean up the take-out containers that you leave lying around, and pick up _your_ dirty clothes and put them in the hamper where they belong, and I'm sorry if I'm _policing_ the apartment by asking you to clean up after yourself, so that when I get home from work, I don't have to spend an hour going behind you when I'm _exhausted_ from being on my feet all day!"

Blaine's jaw clenches. "You're right, Kurt. You're _never_ here!" he retorts. "Which means that I'm coming home after a long day of classes and work to make my own food and sit alone in an apartment that is full of _your_ stuff."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kurt snaps.

"I'm saying that I might as well not live here. Look around you, Kurt." Blaine gestures around himself grandly with a mocking smirk on his face. "How much of what you see around you is mine?"

Kurt squeezes the bridge of his nose between his fingers and tries to make sense of the direction the argument has taken. He doesn't point out that there's very little of Blaine's stuff in the living room, because it's all sitting on the bookshelf in their bedroom, but Blaine's too upset to be objective enough to listen, so instead, Kurt just says, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too," Blaine remarks bitterly, crossing his arms, and there's something about the bite in his tone that puts Kurt on edge.

"Blaine, what are you saying?" Kurt asks, his voice hesitant and defensive but even enough.

"I'm just saying that maybe we rushed into this a little faster than we should have." Kurt's mouth falls open, because of all the things he never expected Blaine to say... "And I think I should have given this whole living together thing a bit more thought before rushing into it blindly."

Kurt can feel the tears threatening to fall, but he fights them back and is proud when his voice only shakes a little as he says, "Yes, well, maybe you should have. In the meantime, why don't you sleep on the couch while you think about it."

And Kurt can feel himself breaking as he turns on his heel and strides out of the room, barely able to keep himself in check long enough to slam the door and collapse onto the bed, feeling more alone than he's felt since he was fourteen.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

After two full days of the awkward silence returning to the apartment, Kurt's almost positive that he's never been more miserable in his whole life. Sebastian is just as quiet as ever, and Blaine has taken to sitting silent and unmoving on the couch, staring dejectedly at the floor until Kurt can't take it anymore and shuts himself in the bedroom before starting to cry again.

It's about midnight going into day three of not talking to Blaine and Kurt's curled up in their bed hugging Blaine's pillow and wondering where everything went wrong, when he hears a timid knock on the door before it opens and Blaine peeks his head inside with a lamely whispered, "Hey."

"Hey," Kurt returns miserably, holding tighter to the pillow in his arms.

He hears Blaine sigh and shut the door softly before he makes his way to sit awkwardly on the edge of the bed. "Kurt, I'm so sorry," he says, his voice soft and tired.

"Are you going to leave?" Kurt asks, feeling already broken at the possibility.

Blaine's voice sounds just about as broken as Kurt feels when he says, "I could never leave you, Kurt. There is nowhere I would rather be than living with you."

Kurt's not quite ready to give up being dejected and miserable yet, so he curls up further into himself and mumbles, "Even if I'm a tyrannical maniac who polices the apartment?"

He sees Blaine wince at the words and immediately feels bad for saying them, but Blaine started it.

"You're not, Kurt," Blaine sighs. "I was mad because I grabbed the wrong notebook from the coffee table, and I took it out on you, because I was angry. I'm so sorry, Kurt. I didn't mean any of the things I said, I swear."

Kurt knows that the power is in his hands now, and he can make Blaine suffer for throwing his little temper tantrum and hurting his feelings, but he's so sick of fighting, and he's missed Blaine so much. "Come here," Kurt says, lifting his arm for Blaine to slip under and burying his nose in the crook of Blaine's neck to breathe in the familiar scent. "I probably do nag a little more than I should-"

"No, Kurt. You don't," Blaine insists, twining their fingers together and lifting Kurt's hand to kiss the back of it. "If I hadn't been in a hurry then I wouldn't have grabbed the wrong notebook. It has nothing to do with you, and I'm sorry if I blamed you for something that was never anyone's fault but my own."

"It's okay," Kurt answers, because it is. Blaine threw a tantrum and has already been punished enough without having to be raked over the coals. He leans forward to kiss the back of Blaine's neck. "I missed you. The bed feels empty without you."

Blaine turns in his arms and lifts himself up on his elbow. "I couldn't sleep on that couch. I can't sleep unless you're holding me."

And at that, Kurt genuinely smiles for the first time in days. "I love you so much, Blaine."

"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine whispers, mirroring Kurt's smile as he leans forward to press his lips against Kurt's in a kiss that quickly turns into an urgent scramble to be rid of clothes and closer to each other, close enough to taste and touch until Kurt's rocking into Blaine with a lazy rhythm that has the smaller boy clinging to Kurt's body and making him feel needed and loved in a way that Kurt has missed so much in the past two days.

They're both so lost in the intimacy of just being connected on such a perfect level that their orgasms catch them almost by surprise and make their breath catch and fingers scrabble against each others' skin in an attempt to stay grounded before Kurt lets his body slump against Blaine's, pressing loving, adoring kisses into whatever skin he can reach before pulling the smaller boy into his arms and drifting into a perfectly sated sleep.

When Kurt wakes up the next morning to make breakfast for himself and Blaine-miraculously, neither one of them is needed at work and they are actually going to be able to spend a Sunday together for a change-he stops dead as he sees an unfamiliar handwriting scrawled under the text of the roommate agreement. He doesn't know whether to laugh or be embarrassed when he reads:

"_New Rule, princess: No nauseating porno sounds after lights out."_

_**—**_

Instead, he settles for grabbing the pen from the counter and scribbling, "_No promises. ;)"_ beside the amendment before smiling to himself and starting breakfast.

It's the end of September and just starting to get cold in New York. There's a chill that seems to seep in through the drafty windows no matter how tight Kurt pulls the curtains, but he can't really find it in himself to be bitter, because the chillier the mornings get, the more Blaine seems to gravitate into Kurt's side for warmth, and who could get upset over something that makes a beautiful boy cuddle up so close?

Despite the two day feud of three weeks ago, everything has fallen back into its normal rhythm-not exactly comfortable, but familiar. The three housemates live together in relative peace, and Kurt lets himself accept that things could be a lot worse than living with someone who-despite being an asshole of gold medal standard-is a model roommate.

Sebastian cleans up after himself, is always quiet when he comes in after midnight, and pays his rent on time without complaint. Most days, Kurt even finds it easy to forget that they have a roommate at all, because Sebastian seems content to just fade into the background, and for a brief moment, Kurt feels just a little guilty for not making some sort of effort to at least be friendly with Sebastian, but then he remembers Blaine lying on the cold concrete of the parking garage a few years ago and tells himself that _cordial _is all that Sebastian gets.

They exchange acknowledging nods of greeting in the mornings as they work around each other to start their days and it all becomes an easy routine. He doesn't think he's heard Sebastian actually speak since the night over a month ago when he and Blaine came in to find Sebastian working at the table.

So, on Friday night, Kurt and Blaine are both surprised when Sebastian's keys rattle in the door before clattering noisily to the hallway floor, the sound followed by a muted _"fuck"_ that sounds just this side of pained before the door opens and Sebastian limps inside, tossing his keys gracelessly onto the kitchen table before slamming the door and hobbling to the couch, dropping down onto the far cushion and propping his clearly injured leg up on the coffee table, shooting Kurt a glare as if to dare him to make a comment.

Commenting on Sebastian's actions is the furthest thing from Kurt's mind as he registers the frustration, physical pain, and barely hidden emotion on Sebastian's face. Blaine apparently follows the same train of thought, because before Kurt can speak, Blaine's concerned voice asks, "Sebastian, what happened?"

The injured boy shoots Blaine a glare that makes him shrink into the couch, and Kurt pulls Blaine into his arms and levels Sebastian with an icy glare. Sebastian rolls his eyes and lets his head loll back against the back of the couch, and Kurt is surprised to see that it actually looks like Sebastian might be fighting back tears.

He has the urge to make a comment about being shocked that Sebastian actually _has_ emotions, but restrains himself, because Sebastian hasn't actually done anything lately to deserve the comment, and Kurt thinks he might actually feel guilty if he says anything, so he lets it go.

He's distracted by the power flickering again, something he's gotten used to since moving into an old building in New York City. Blaine's voice makes him turn. "Do you think we're going to lose power?"

Sebastian doesn't look up, doesn't actually look like he _cares_, but Kurt shrugs. "Maybe. It's pretty windy out."

They don't have to wait long to get an answer to Blaine's question, because less than five minutes later, the power flickers once, then twice, before going out altogether, plunging the apartment into blackness.

Kurt sighs and stands up. "Stay here, baby. I'll go get some candles from the bedroom."

He comes back quickly with the candles, setting three of them in a row on the coffee table and lighting them, casting a flickery light to dance across Blaine's face that completely takes his breath away. He never realized how amazing Blaine looks by candlelight.

By the way Blaine blushes and smiles widely, Kurt's pretty sure he voiced his thoughts, and seconds later, he's being pulled down onto Blaine's lap and kissed.

"Will you two knock it off?" Sebastian grits out, his voice bitter and just shy of angry.

Kurt lifts his head from where he was nuzzling against Blaine's neck to glare at Sebastian. "Don't you have somewhere else you could be right now?"

Something that looks a lot like _hurt_ flashes across Sebastian's face before his expression gets schooled back into the bitter mask of a few minutes ago. "Actually, no, Tinkerbell. But, God, do I wish I did."

Blaine pulls him back down, seeming content to just ignore Sebastian, and Kurt can get on board with that. If Sebastian doesn't like it, he can go in his room. Kurt finds himself getting swept back up in the light brush of Blaine's lips against his own, feels himself melting against Blaine, because it's been too long since they've done this-just kissed for the sake of kissing.

But apparently, it has become a battle of wills with Sebastian, because he's not moving from his spot, and he clears his throat and makes a gagging sound that annoys Kurt just enough to make him forget the earlier look of hurt on the boy's face, and he pulls away from kissing Blaine to turn toward Sebastian in irritation.

"What happened to that guy you were seeing?" Kurt asks, letting his irritation take over. "Did he finally decide he'd had enough of your crap and leave?"

A look of fresh hurt flashes in Sebastian's eyes, and Kurt knows he's hit close to home. Sebastian swallows thickly and turns his head, but Kurt can see his Adam's apple bobbing and feels guilty because the remark had just been a mean joke. He didn't actually mean to _hurt_ Sebastian, and he wonders when he started caring about Sebastian's feelings.

Kurt doesn't know what to say, so he turns back to Blaine to find an empathy in his eyes. And God, the guy threw a Slushee laced with rock salt at Blaine, nearly blinding him, and Blaine is still amazingly good natured enough to feel empathetic toward Sebastian's feelings. Kurt darts a kiss to his boyfriend's lips and whispers a quiet, "God, you're incredible," before climbing off his lap and heading toward the kitchen, silently gathering up three coffee cups and a bottle of red wine before returning to the couch with the items in hand, setting the cups on the table and filling them. He kisses Blaine again quickly as he hands him the cup.

He takes another of the cups, tapping Sebastian on the shoulder as he holds it out for him to take.

Sebastian eyes him skeptically before sighing and reaching out to take the wine with a muttered, "Thanks," and drains the cup before Kurt even has time to reach for his own, and Kurt refills it before leaning back against the couch and curling into Blaine's side.

The apartment is starting to cool down now that the chill of the night has set in without the heater to combat it, but Kurt contents himself with leaning forward to refill his cup so that he can drink until he feels pleasantly warm, and surprisingly, he and Sebastian seem to be on the same page because their hands brush against the bottle and Sebastian pulls back as though he's been burned.

"Here," Kurt compromises, lifting the bottle and pouring the last of it into Sebastian's cup. "It looks like you need it more than I do, and we've got another bottle in the fridge."

"How do you and Blaine manage to afford wine when you have to use the same razor for a week at a time?" Sebastian asks, and it's the most Kurt has heard him speak since he moved in.

Blaine's lips quirk up into a smile, and Kurt can tell that he's already feeling the effects of the wine. "Kurt decided that wine was more important than personal grooming."

"I refuse to sacrifice class," Kurt answers haughtily, and Blaine laughs because he knows that's not entirely true.

"That's not the tune you were singing two weeks ago when the decision was either wine or condoms," Blaine teases, drawing an honest laugh out of Sebastian.

"He chose ass over class," Sebastian snickers.

Kurt attempts to look scandalized but falls just short as his lips quirk up into a smile so he settles for smacking Sebastian's shoulder playfully, momentarily forgetting that they're not supposed to be laughing together.

The action is almost unconscious and Kurt doesn't catch it until a few seconds later, but there's none of the awkwardness that he was expecting and everyone seems content to just let it go, if they even noticed at all.

It's strange, Kurt thinks as the night goes on, the way he and Blaine seem to fall into an easy sort of camaraderie with Sebastian, and he wonders if Sebastian feels it too. Judging by the way his posture is less tense and he's readily contributing to their conversation, Kurt thinks that he might. He's sure that this new found ease of conversation with Sebastian has everything to do with the wine that's been flowing steadily for about an hour now.

Everyone's nursing their drinks, feeling pleasantly buzzed and content as they talk about things as mundane as the weather to things as ridiculous as drunkenly comparing alien conspiracy theories. Well, Kurt listens to _that_ conversation, giggling as Blaine and Sebastian get animated about the topic. He laughs again when he realizes that underneath Sebastian's smug, playboy exterior beats the heart of a boy who has an equal passion for comic books, aliens, classic literature, and showtunes.

Kurt lets himself entertain the notion that, had they met under different circumstances, the three of them could be friends, and he finds that he has to keep reminding himself of the reason that they're not, because somehow, the boy sitting on the couch with him, laughing, free and unguarded at something that Blaine said, looks a far cry from the snide, uncaring Sebastian he'd met at the Lima Bean two years ago.

When the lights flicker back on, they all pitch in to clean up the mess in the living room, Kurt taking the candles back into the bedroom while Blaine folds the blanket and returns it to the back of the couch as Sebastian washes the three cups and recycles the wine bottles.

As Kurt comes out of the bedroom and sees the easy sort of rhythm that they've fallen into, he realizes that, though they may not be friends, they're definitely on their way to becoming _something_. After setting the dishes in the strainer and tossing the handtowel on the counter, Sebastian gives an almost sheepish smile and says, "Night, guys."

Kurt and Blaine return it easily, and Blaine even claps Sebastian on the shoulder as he passes, and yeah...they're definitely on their way to being _something_, even if Kurt's not entirely sure what that something is at this early stage.

"You coming to bed, baby?" Blaine asks, clicking off the living room light and pausing in the hall when he notices that Kurt isn't behind him.

"Y-Yeah," Kurt answers, distracted by a thought. He holds up one finger toward Blaine before saying, "One second."

Kurt hesitantly crosses the kitchen to stand in front of the refrigerator, picking up the pen and letting it hover over the roommate agreement before taking a deep breath and scratching a line through the words, "_Do not speak to Blaine or myself unless it is an emergency."_

They're not friends, not yet, but Kurt is surprised to find that somehow, it doesn't feel like they're enemies anymore.

With a parting glance toward the paper, he sets down the pen and lets Blaine take his hand and lead him toward their bedroom. He lets himself wonder about what it all means as Blaine lays down on the bed beside him and pulls him into his arms but finds himself not getting any real answers.

Blaine hums out a contented sound and kisses his forehead before saying softly, "I liked tonight."

Kurt shifts back further into the strength of Blaine's arms, and without a thought, finds himself answering, "Me too."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

By the middle of October, Kurt and Blaine have both decided that it's time to be worried about Sebastian.

After the night the power went out, Kurt was relieved to find that despite a little awkwardness in the beginning, everything seemed to keep the easy familiarity that they'd had that night, even if the idea of smiling at something Sebastian said was a little weird at first. It was comfortable in a way that seemed to lift the remaining tension from the apartment and made it feel more like a home than a demilitarized zone on the verge of a riot.

Despite the ban on speaking being lifted, Sebastian still didn't say much unless directly prompted. Sometimes when they would all be sitting on the couch talking, Sebastian would start to look sad and excuse himself to his room. It happened frequently enough to actually cause worry, because Sebastian Smythe may be many things, but one thing that he most definitely is not is an introvert.

But Kurt's not sure what to do, because they're still not _friends_ exactly, and he doesn't know what would be crossing the line, isn't sure what his place is.

Watching Sebastian seem to withdraw further into himself isn't something that Kurt wants to see. It just seems _wrong_. It doesn't fit the cocky boy's personality to be so quiet and resigned.

It finally comes to a head the night the three of them are sitting on the couch watching the news (Well, Kurt and Blaine are watching the news. Sebastian is staring dejectedly at the floor.) and Kurt decides that he can't take it anymore, so he comes up with a plan. He takes Blaine's hand and pulls him toward the front door.

_**—**_

"I think they gave us the wrong order," Kurt says, digging through the paper bag to pull out the containers of Chinese food to set on the counter.

"Why is that?" Blaine asks, looking over the back of the couch toward the kitchen.

"Look at all this food." Kurt gestures to the containers. "I just ordered enough for the two of us, and they gave us enough to feed a family of five."

Blaine just shrugs and turns back to the television, and Kurt can see the smile fighting to lift the corners of his lips, because Blaine may be able to sing a version of Teenage Dream that will make your knees go weak, but he's a _terrible_ actor.

Kurt dishes out three plates of food and juggles them to the couch, handing one to Blaine before turning to Sebastian.

"Here. They gave us too much, so you get a free meal tonight, I guess," Kurt offers. Sebastian turns his head to look at Kurt but says nothing. "Just take the damn plate, so I can eat before my food gets cold."

Sebastian nods and takes the plate. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, but don't get used to it," Kurt adds for good measure.

They eat in silence as the TV plays in the background, and Kurt steals a glance toward Sebastian's plate only to find that he's only eaten a couple bites and is instead just pushing the food around as he miserably stares at it. Well, Kurt thinks, now is just as good a time as any to implement phase two of the plan, since phase one seems to be crashing and burning. He'd hoped that giving Sebastian food would open up the lines of communication so that he'd talk about what was bothering him, but it's become clear that that's not going to happen.

Kurt reaches out and takes the plate from Sebastian's hand and sets it ungracefully on the table, interrupting Sebastian's quiet protest with, "Alright, Sebastian, what's the matter with you?"

"What?" Sebastian asks, and Kurt can see him immediately going on the defensive, but he continues anyway.

"Not that it should bother me one way or another, but you haven't been yourself lately, and Blaine and I are starting to get worried," Kurt finishes, setting down his own plate and turning to fully face Sebastian.

Sebastian scoffs and shakes his head. "I'm not your charity case," Sebastian says, his voice trying for smug but instead just sounding miserable. "so you don't have to worry about me."

"We don't think of you like that, Sebastian," Blaine says kindly, shifting to put a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "We just want to know if you're okay."

Sebastian laughs without humor and pulls away from Blaine sharply, his face hardening. "You want to know if I'm _okay_," Sebastian mocks, raising his voice. Blaine flinches, but Kurt doesn't react. "Why the _fuck_ would I be okay?"

His voice turns harsh and mean as he continues. "You may be real pretty, but you're dumb as a goddamn post," Sebastian bites out coldly as he stands up.

Blaine tenses and looks like he's bracing for a fight, but Kurt puts a hand on his shoulder and whispers, "Let him go. He doesn't mean it." Blaine relaxes and watches with narrowed eyes as Sebastian continues.

"In the last month, I have walked in on my boyfriend balls deep in some frat boy, gotten screamed at every single day by a photographer on a God trip, and had to come home and watch the two of you make heart eyes at each other like two fucking lovesick fourteen year olds, so why in the _fuck_ would I be okay?" he finishes, shouting.

His anger fades just as quickly as it came and the set of his shoulders relaxes as he deflates. He huffs out a breath and drags his fingers roughly through his hair, muttering out, "Sorry." as he sits back down.

"It's okay." Kurt leans over and slides a hand across his back without thinking. Sebastian tenses, but relaxes just as quickly.

The anger on Blaine's face has been replaced with sympathy, and his voice comes out no higher than a whisper. "We didn't know, Seb."

"Of course you didn't," Sebastian says, quiet and sad. "How could you?"

Kurt slides in closer, because _God, Sebastian just looks so sad _and wraps an arm around the taller boy's slumped shoulders, feeling a little bit of relief at the way Sebastian seems to relax slightly at the touch. "I wish you would have told us sooner. You can't keep things bottled up like this-"

"Oh, yes I can," Sebastian interrupts with a bitter, humorless laugh.

"But you shouldn't," Kurt continues. "Whether we like it or not, for now at least, we're kinda stuck together, so, for the sake of _all of our_ _sanity_, you can't keep everything bottled up until you explode like this." Sebastian lets out a defeated sigh and nods in agreement so Kurt claps him on the shoulder.

"So," Kurt begins, standing up and heading toward the kitchen, coming back with a quart of ice cream and and three spoons. "We're going to do this rom-com style, and you're going to tell us about the bastard who broke your heart while we drink wine and eat ice cream."

_**—**_

"That's stupid," Sebastian remarks derisively, rolling his eyes, but his lips twitch up into a smile as he takes a spoon and digs out a spoonful of ice cream.

Kurt's cooking dinner when Blaine comes bursting through the front door, smiling widely as he runs across the kitchen and lifts Kurt off his feet to spin the shocked boy in a circle before setting him down and kissing him full on the lips with a loud smack.

"What on Earth was that for?" Kurt asks with a laugh when Blaine finally pulls away. Unnoticed before now, Sebastian has come to lean against the counter and is watching them both with a playfully teasing smile, rolling his eyes at the display.

Blaine is amped up and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he explains that the owner of the music shop's band has a gig in Boston tomorrow night and that their opening band canceled so they asked Blaine to fill in.

"But we've got to leave tonight in order to get there in time to set up and everything." Blaine's voice is both apologetic and inquisitive, as though he's asking Kurt's permission to go, and when Kurt takes a beat too long to answer, Blaine continues with, "I won't go. It's okay. I mean, I understand it's short notice-"

Kurt cuts him off with a kiss on the lips. "I'm so proud of you, baby," he says brightly, warmth flooding through him at the way the praise makes Blaine's entire face light up. "and you're going to _kill_ this gig in Boston."

Blaine lets out a quiet squeal of excitement before Kurt's off his feet and spinning again. Sebastian rolls his eyes fondly and walks back toward the living room, mumbling something about the display being so sicky sweet that he's going to get diabetes.

Kurt wraps up the rest of the pepper he'd just started cutting when Blaine came in, deciding instead to forgo cooking and order a pizza. Sebastian kicks in five dollars for a share of the food, and Kurt looks up from his plate and rolls his eyes, calling Blaine and Sebastian _brutes_ as they eat the pizza straight from the box.

He gasps indignantly when his words are answered with twin guffaws and Sebastian pelting him in the forehead with a chunk of pepper.

"I'm glad I'm not going to be here tonight," Blaine laughs with a mouthful of food. "Because I'm pretty sure Kurt's going to smother you with a pillow in your sleep, Seb."

Sebastian nudges Blaine with his shoulder and they share a smile as Kurt smacks Blaine in the back of the head muttering, "Yeah, well, your being gone tonight will only give me time to think of a more efficient way to disembowel you for getting sauce on my damn couch."

"Like that's the worst thing that's ever gotten on this couch," Blaine laughs, and Kurt cracks up at the way Sebastian chokes on his Pepsi.

"That's really fucking sick," he sputters, moving to the armchair.

Kurt can't help himself, so he turns to smirk at Sebastian, "Yeah, like we haven't done it _there, _too."

Sebastian narrows his eyes and takes a forceful bite of his pizza, leveling a glare toward where Kurt and Blaine are shaking with laughter before finally cracking up himself.

When Blaine has to leave shortly after dinner, Sebastian follows the two of them down to the sidewalk and tosses Blaine's overnight bag in the backseat of the waiting cab while the smaller boy says his goodbyes to Kurt.

"Bye, baby," Kurt coos, turning briefly to shoot a glare toward Sebastian when he makes a rude gagging noise before turning back to Blaine. "Call me as soon as you get there, okay? I don't care how late it is."

Blaine agrees and stretches up to kiss Kurt on the lips before going back to flat feet and turning toward Sebastian. "Bye, Seb," Blaine says with a small wave. Sebastian returns the wave before jamming his hands in his pockets and taking an awkward step back.

They watch the cab drive away before walking back up the stairs in companionable silence, but the moment the door closes and the realization of _I have to spend a weekend in an apartment alone with Sebastian_ hits Kurt at the same time a similar realization seems to hit Sebastian, the atmosphere turns a little awkward, neither one really sure where to go from here.

Sebastian is the first to speak. He clears his throat and awkwardly gestures toward the television that has been off since the three of them hadn't managed to scrape up enough money to pay the cable bill. "Um...I think Wheel of Fortune is on..." he suggests.

"Yeah...okay..." Kurt replies, feeling just as out of place as Sebastian looks.

"Okay," Sebastian says before crossing the room to drop down onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh that Kurt's not sure he was supposed to notice.

It's going to be a _long_ weekend.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"I'm still in shock over the fact that you guessed that puzzle last night when there weren't even any letters on the board yet," Kurt says, shaking his head and shoving Sebastian when he preens.

"I told you before, sweetheart, I'm a genius," Sebastian answers smugly, his chin tilted upwards, and Kurt kind of wants to hit him again, but instead he just laughs and gives him another shove down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is, because geniuses see funny insurance commercials and shoot their soda out of their noses," Kurt remarks, his voice teasing. Sebastian turns and sticks his tongue out like a petulant child, and Kurt laughs and says, "Anyways, it was just Wheel of Fortune. I kicked your ass at Jeopardy."

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "The category was 'Fashion Designers', Kurt."

"I still kicked your ass," Kurt points out with a laugh as they reach the vegetable stand on the corner of their block. Kurt takes a basket and stands in between the tables, looking appraisingly down at the produce. He's just picking up a ripe tomato and debating on chopping it up to add to a jar of sauce and just have spaghetti tonight when Sebastian speaks.

"The eggplant looks really good." Kurt looks up to see Sebastian standing on the other side of the table. "I think there's some mozzarella cheese left in the fridge, and we could stop on our way back and get some parmesan..."

Kurt taps his chin in though and then nods. "That sounds really good, actually." Sebastian smiles at the words and walks over to set the eggplant in the basket before taking it off Kurt's arm. "Thank you," Kurt says, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice, because even after almost two months of living together and a month of maybe_-friendship, _Kurt is still shocked whenever Sebastian does something generous.

"You're welcome," he says easily.

Kurt shakes his head as Sebastian walks a little ways down to aisle and changes the subject. "I didn't know you liked to cook," he prompted, and Sebastian turns around and flashes a smile that Kurt refuses to believe might be _intentionally_ flirty, because Sebastian flirts so often that he's probably unaware that he even does it at this point.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." The words are soft and honey smooth, and they send a shiver down Kurt's spine that he does his best to ignore.

Surprisingly enough, they work well together in the kitchen, both aware of their own space in a way that makes sharing such a small area manageable. They keep up easy conversation punctuated with comfortable, companionable silence, and by the time Sebastian pulls the finished product out of the oven, Kurt has the table set and is pouring wine to go with the meal.

They seem to share a sort of synchronicity that Kurt has never really had with anyone before. As much of a shock to Kurt's system it may be, he's still pleased to have found someone who operates on the same wavelength as he does.

"The table looks great, Kurt," Sebastian compliments, pulling Kurt out of his reverie.

"Thank you," Kurt says, smiling softly. "We worked really hard on making this, so I figured we shouldn't waste it by eating in front of the television."

Sebastian smiles again and says, "I was going to say the same thing."

The easy conversation continues over dinner, and after the dishes are done and the kitchen is picked up, they settle onto the couch.

"Put the movie in while I go change into my sweats," Sebastian calls over his shoulder as he heads to his bedroom, returning quickly and looking much more comfortable when he drops down onto the couch. "What are we watching?"

"Whenever it starts getting cold out, I want to watch Rent," Kurt says, turning toward Sebastian. "I hope that's okay."

Sebastian stretches out across the couch, giving Kurt a goofy smile as he lets his feet come to rest in Kurt's lap. "Yeah, that's fine. I like Rent."

Kurt turns off the lamp as he hits play, and he's pretty sure Sebastian is asleep before the opening song is finished. He rolls his eyes fondly and wiggles out from under Sebastian's legs, standing up just in time to grab his cell phone and answer it on the first ring. The sleeping boy stirs a bit but doesn't wake up, so Kurt takes the call in his room and falls asleep talking to Blaine.

_**—**_

He looks up blearily at the numbers on the alarm clock only to find that it's not even two A.M. He had been exhausted when he passed out, so he wonders why the hell is he randomly awake in the middle of the night, before he hears a hitching sound from right outside his door and recognizes it as the reason he's awake. It takes a minute for his sleep-fogged mind to identify the sound as crying, but it only takes a second after recognizing it before he throws the blankets off and darts toward the door, wrenching it open to reveal Sebastian standing awkwardly in the hall, tears sliding down his cheeks and looking very much lost.

"Seb, oh my god, what's the matter?" Kurt asks, frozen in place, because the last thing he ever expected to see was Sebastian looking completely and totally broken.

"_Kurt..." _he breathes, and it is the single most heartbreaking sound that Kurt has ever heard, but he doesn't have time to think before Sebastian's face screws up in pain and he covers his face as a fresh wave of sobs tear out of his chest.

On instinct, Kurt crosses the small distance and pulls the broken boy into his arms, shushing in his ear when Sebastian's head comes to rest on his shoulder, and he starts babbling against the side of Kurt's neck.

Kurt can only make out the name of Sebastian's ex, the words "phone call", and "...said he was sorry, but I know he's not."

He hugs Sebastian tighter and asks, "God, why were you just standing in the hallway? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I'm-I'm not supposed to. I was going to wake you up, but then I remembered-remembered the agreement, and I didn't know if I was allowed to-"

"Jesus, Seb. You could have knocked on the door for this," Kurt says in a breath. "Come on. Come in and we'll talk about it." Kurt reaches down to take Sebastian's hand and the taller boy lets himself be pulled into Kurt's bedroom, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Why did you even take his call, Sebastian?" Kurt asks, still holding Sebastian's hand.

Sebastian's breath hitches and he takes a deep breath before letting it out his nose. "I was asleep, and I didn't look at my caller ID. I don't believe him, Kurt. He just wanted me to come over, so that we could-"

His breathing starts edging toward hysterics again, and Kurt leans forward and hugs him. "Hey, it's okay. You did the right thing. Don't believe him."

"I-I loved him, Kurt," Sebastian says brokenly. "I never told him that, because I knew he didn't feel the same way, but I did. I loved him."

"I know, Sebastian."

Sebastian lets his body fall heavily backwards on the bed until he's resting his head on Blaine's pillow. "This sucks," he says simply, and Kurt huffs out a laugh as he lays down beside him.

"It gets easier, Seb. You think it never will, because getting your heart broken feels like the end of the world, but it does get easier," Kurt offers, rolling over to his side and propping himself up on his elbow to look down at Sebastian's face. "And in the meantime, you've got Blaine and I."

The words get a small smile out of Sebastian. "Well, there's something I never thought I'd live to hear."

"Yeah, well, it's something I never thought I'd live to _say_," Kurt says back, returning Sebastian's smile. "But I'm saying it, and I mean it. We're here for you."

"I know," Sebastian says simply, letting out a breath and closing his eyes, looking close to sleep after such an emotional upset. "Can I-"

"Yeah," Kurt answers, knowing that Sebastian doesn't want to be alone. He folds down the comforter for himself and Sebastian to slide under.

Sebastian lets out another sleepy breath. "Thank you."

"No problem." Kurt closes his eyes and is already feeling close to sleep himself. "Goodnight, Seb."

Kurt chuckles softly to find that Sebastian is already asleep. He nuzzles into his own pillow with a small smile and feels warm and oddly content as sleep finds him.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"Y'know, a guy could really get his ego bruised seeing his boyfriend jump into the arms of another man after just two days."

Kurt's eyes fly open and he's immediately aware of someone-_oh right, he fell asleep with Sebastian_-scrambling and babbling at his side before hearing the thunk of a body falling gracelessly out of bed.

Sitting up, he sees Blaine doubled over with laughter and can't help but smile himself as he rubs at his bleary eyes. His smile widens as he takes in the sight of Sebastian is tangled in the top sheet and lying by the side of the bed, rubbing his head, and all Kurt can think to say is, "Hey, baby. You're home early."

Blaine's face lights up and he crosses the room to dive onto the bed beside Kurt. "Should I be concerned about this?" he asks, his voice bright and warm, gesturing to where Sebastian is staring, confused and half-asleep, from the floor.

"No, I don't think so," Kurt answers, giving Blaine a cheeky smile before cupping his cheek and kissing him. "There was a bit of an incident last night, so I let him crash in our bed."

"Jesus, Kurt," Sebastian mutters from the floor. "You make me sound like a five year old."

Blaine extends a hand to help him up, and Sebastian stands before sitting back on the bed, fidgeting awkwardly with a loose thread on his sweatpants before clearing his throat and awkwardly mumbling something about going to take a shower.

As soon as Sebastian is out of the room, Blaine turns to Kurt with wary eyes. "What's the matter with him now?"

Blaine begins to get visibly upset as Kurt explains what happened until finally Blaine balls his fists against his thighs. "Why can't that guy just leave him the hell alone?"

"I don't know, but God, Blaine, you should have seen him last night," Kurt remembers, shaking his head. "I've never seen him so upset. I don't even know how long he'd been standing outside the door before I heard him-"

"Standing outside the door?" Blaine asks, his face screwing up in confusion.

Kurt feels guilty all over again for ever making the damn "No Knocking" rule in the first place and answers, "He wouldn't knock on the door, because I put it in the roommate agreement that he wasn't allowed to."

"_Kurt,_" Blaine admonishes, and the taller boy drops his head.

"I know. It was petty, but, at the time, I didn't want him anywhere near us," he defends, but the words sound slow and weak.

Blaine nods and pulls his boyfriend into his arms. "Neither did I," Blaine admits, pausing thoughtfully before adding, "It's weird how things have changed. I never thought I'd live to see the day that I'd feel bad for Sebastian Smythe, but I do."

"Me too," Kurt lets out a huff of breath. "God, when did that happen?"

Blaine laughs quietly and kisses the side of Kurt's head. "I was wondering the same thing. I can honestly say that walking in on you sharing a bed with Sebastian was the most surreal thing I've ever experienced."

"Yeah," Kurt contributes with a smile. "I know what you mean."

Blaine takes a deep breath and adds quietly, "I'm glad we gave him a chance, Kurt. I know it probably sounds weird after all of the history we have together, but I think I might actually _like_ the guy."

"That _is_ weird," Kurt answers. "But I'm glad too."

And he is glad they decided to accept Sebastian's proposition, though it's the first time he's really let himself acknowledge it. He's glad that they decided to give him another chance, because, really, who can say that they're the same person they were in high school? It's easy to see that Sebastian has changed _somehow_. The boy they live with is not the same person who vindictively threw the Slushee that nearly blinded Blaine.

Somehow, through life experience or just maturing, Sebastian is different now, and Kurt finds it harder and harder to hold on to the grudges he has with the _old_ Sebastian, and by the sound of it, Blaine is struggling too.

There's not really any sort of pressing need to discuss the issue further, so Kurt changes the subject, asking, "So, have you already eaten? Or do you want to go out to get something for breakfast?"

Blaine's face brightens back up and he leans forward to dart a kiss against Kurt's lips. "Let's go out," he suggests. "Wanna see if Seb wants to go?"

"Sure," Kurt says with a nod as he scrunches up his face in thought and realizes that the idea of Sebastian _not_ going had never even crossed his mind. Blaine gives him another quick kiss that Kurt returns distractedly before Blaine gets off the bed and crosses over to the closet, and Kurt wonders when including Sebastian started being just something they did now.

Following his train of thought, Kurt climbs out of bed and wanders to the kitchen, making short work of crossing the "Don't Knock" rule off the roommate agreement before stepping back to contemplate all of the amendments on the paper, two of the initial four rules have been crossed off, and he wonders idly about the fate of the last two.

He shakes his head to clear it and turns to walk toward the end of the hall, rapping on the bathroom door with his knuckles. "Seb, hurry up, we're going out."

_**—**_

Sebastian is only aware that it's the twentieth of October because his manager had screamed it at him this morning when he'd walked on set for the shoot, because _Goddammit, Smythe! We've got a deadline to meet and it's already the fucking twentieth, and you think you're so goddamn special that you can just waltz in here whenever you damn well feel like it just like all of these other pretentious little flakes._

He'd tuned the man out after that. It was days like this when he _really _hated his job.

Since he was a kid, he'd always wanted to be a writer. By age fifteen, he had an entire box of composition books filled with his own words. It had always been his escape, but when he turned sixteen, his father's gift to him had been a law dictionary.

"Seb," he'd said, sitting down beside his son on the couch and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to make one hell of a lawyer."

Sebastian had just looked down at his feet and said, "I-I don't want to be a lawyer, dad. I'd kinda like to be a writer."

He was sure he'd never forget the way his father had actually thrown his head back and laughed heartily at the words. It had been the worst feeling he'd ever felt in his life.

"You're a Smythe, Sebastian," his father said by way of explanation. "Writing is a waste of time." The man clapped him on the shoulder. "I know you'll make the right decision and make me proud, son."

Sebastian cried as he packed up his composition books before settling into his bed with the dictionary his father had given him. He read it cover to cover within a week, feeling his heart sink just a little with each finished page.

After a full year of pre-law, Sebastian was miserable, and he had to make the decision for himself that he just couldn't take it anymore. When he'd called his father and told him that he wanted to change his major to English, the man's only words were, "Well, I hope you've got a good plan to pay for that, because you're not getting any money from me."

He'd checked his account later that day and found it frozen and his tuition money revoked. He wouldn't let himself cry, because deep down, he knew he'd made the right decision, even if he had no fucking clue how he was going to keep his apartment or even live in such an expensive city.

The same day, he'd been approached by a headhunter from a modeling agency who complimented him on his bone structure and promised him a dollar above minimum wage. The working conditions were atrocious and his boss was the biggest dickhead he'd ever met, but at least he finally felt like had found a place to start rebuilding his life.

But now, six months in, he feels like he was spinning his wheels, only able to put aside about twenty five dollars a week toward going back to school. It just doesn't feel like he's actually getting anywhere, or at least, he thought he'd be further than where he is by now.

Which is why when he trudges his way up the three flights of stairs-because _naturally_ the elevator is broken-on the twentieth, he lets his head thunk against the wood of the apartment door. He's got a bitch of a headache and just wants to go to bed.

As he finally manages to open the door, the sound of music playing makes him turn toward the kitchen to find Blaine swaying to the beat, standing in front of the counter, as he spoons something out of a bowl and onto something else and sings a bit too loudly.

Sebastian drops his keys into the bowl by the door, getting the full view of the godawful mess in the kitchen, and asks, "What in the hell are you doing?"

Blaine squeaks loudly as he spins around in an attempt to hide whatever it is that he's constructing on the counter. His voice comes out high and nervous. "You're home early," he points out anxiously, and now Sebastian can't help it. He lifts up onto his toes to see over Blaine-not a difficult task in any case-and his lips quirk up into a confused smile.

"Is that a _cake_?" he asks, crossing the kitchen to stand next to Blaine. Sure enough there is a half frosted cake...or...at least, what Sebastian is pretty sure was _intended_ to be a cake, sitting on a plate.

Blaine's shoulders drop and he lets out a breath. "It's your birthday, Seb. I had to do _something_, and since Kurt and I don't really have the money for presents, I thought I'd make you a cake." He grimaces and scratches his head with his free hand. "But it turns out that baking a cake is _way_ harder than Kurt makes it look, so just try to remember that it's the _thought_ that counts, okay?"

Sebastian fights the strange surge of warmth that floods through him, because, disastrous or not, this is the first time that anyone has ever actually made him a cake for his birthday. His parents always opted for the store bought ones instead. He clears his throat and peers down at the lopsided mess on the plate and fights back a fond smile.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" he asks instead.

"Kurt and I saw it on your financial aid application when you left it on the table," Blaine answers, not looking as sheepish as he probably should for spying, before changing the subject. "I'm really glad you're going back to school, Seb."

And the feeling of warmth spreads from his head to his toes as he bites back his emotion, not sure when he even started feeling emotional over Blaine's endless little acts of kindness. Without conscious thought, he pulls Blaine into a hug.

"You guys are really creepy, you know that?" he asks, a teasing smile on his lips even though he knows that he knows that Blaine can't see.

Blaine seems to start a little at the contact, but he relaxes quickly into the hug and laughs softly as he returns it. "But you love us," he adds teasingly.

Sebastian sighs against Blaine's shoulder as he says, "God help me, I think I do."

_**—**_

The cake was, as predicted, complete inedible, but after more than a couple glasses of wine and an off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday" they managed to choke it down anyway as they continued to drink and play the world's most disorganized game of Monopoly before passing out in a heap on the floor.

When Kurt wakes up the next morning, Sebastian is clinging to his legs, Blaine is wrapped around his middle, and there's a five dollar bill of Monopoly money stuck to his cheek because he actually fell asleep on the board.

They're all going to be late to work or school and Kurt has a massive headache that makes him groan as he sits up. He rubs his temples in an attempt to alleviate the pain as he shakes Blaine awake and nudges Sebastian with his foot.

"Come on, you guys, get up," he coaxes, his voice rough with sleep and quiet as to not upset his headache. Yeah, he's not going to his morning class today. His only thoughts are his neglected bed and at least three more hours of sleep.

Sebastian sits up first, scrubbing a hand across his face, pausing to rub at his eyes, and groans as he squeezes them shut tight. "Christ," he croaks. "What the hell happened last night?"

"I think we might have celebrated just a bit too much for your birthday," Kurt answers, finally standing up and willing the ground to stop spinning. "God, I need an aspirin."

"Bring the bottle in here when you come back," Sebastian instructs, holding his head. Kurt hears Sebastian trying to wake Blaine as he closes the door to the bathroom.

When Blaine and Sebastian finally get moving, Kurt watches them dart around the apartment as they try and make up for lost time. Blaine walks back into the living room, fussing with tying his bowtie as Sebastian comes out of his room.

Kurt clicks his tongue as he takes in Sebastian's unshaven appearance. "If you're going for the hipster look," he starts. "You missed. You just look like a really twinky criminal."

"At least I can grow facial hair, princess," Sebastian bites back, and Kurt once again finds himself wondering what it means that the words hold none of the heat they used to have. Sebastian checks his hair in the hall mirror before grimacing and running his hand across the stubble on his jaw. "But my shaver broke, and I can't really afford to buy a new one right now."

Without looking up, Blaine says, "Just use mine." He fusses with his tie until he decides that it's straight and Kurt rolls his eyes before standing up and fixing it until it actually is.

Sebastian turns away from the mirror with a parting frown. "I can't. It's in the agreement."

"Jesus," Blaine mutters, crossing the room to grab a pen and roughly scratch out the rule before turning to face Sebastian. "Now go shave. Kurt's right; you look like a criminal."

Sebastian narrows his eyes and gives them both the finger before turning back toward the bathroom to shave.

_**—**_

Blaine picks up his phone on the first ring, checking his caller ID, setting it to speakerphone, and answering with, "Hey, baby. Where are you? Seb and I want to order dinner, but we're waiting for you..."

Sebastian looks away from the television to frown at the phone. "Yeah, so get your ass home. We're starving."

"Charming, Sebastian," Kurt answers, his voice fondly irritated. "but that's why I called. I'm not going to be home for dinner. Actually, I probably won't be home much before you guys go to bed."

Blaine makes a sympathetic noise and looks sadly toward his phone. "You work too hard, Kurt."

"I know, but Trinity needs me tonight. I have to help with those stupid gowns for the Halloween masquerade ball-"

"You don't even get to _go_ to that damn thing," Sebastian remarks. "So why are they making you help with the costumes?"

They can hear Kurt let out a sigh. "I know, but she said that if I can manage to pull this off, she'll put in a good word for me with a costume designer she knows who works for an off-Broadway company."

"Kurt, oh my God, that's amazing!" Blaine gushes, and Sebastian nods his agreement toward the phone as though Kurt can see.

"Yeah," Kurt hedges, sounding more tired than Blaine ever remembers hearing him. "There's just so much to be done, and I'm pretty much here by myself."

Sebastian grimaces in sympathy. "Do you want us to bring you some dinner or something? Coffee?"

"No, thank you. I appreciate it, Seb, but I should really get back to work. I just wanted to call and say I wouldn't be home for dinner."

"Okay, baby, don't work to hard, and hurry home," Blaine says softly. "I love you."

"Love you, too, honey. Bye, Seb."

Sebastian says goodbye and Blaine hangs up the phone, staring down at it thoughtfully.

"He _does_ work too hard," Sebastian offers. The words are met by a drawn out sigh from Blaine.

"He wants this _so_ much. I've never seen anyone with as much drive as he has," Blaine says, shaking his head. "He's amazing."

Sebastian just nods and they lapse back into silence as the six o'clock news finishes.

They both decide against ordering food and instead have bologna sandwiches and chips, eating casually on the couch as Blaine works on homework and Sebastian watches a mindless reality show. Blaine's just started working on his Music Theory assignment when Sebastian clears his throat and speaks.

"I did it because I was jealous, you know."

Blaine looks up from his paper, confusion etched deep across his face. "Huh?"

"The rock salt in the Slushee," he adds, his voice low and earnest. "I threw it at Kurt because I was jealous. You guys had what I wanted-what I knew I'd never have-and I got jealous. And Kurt was so smug about having it-having _you_. I was a dick and you got hurt. I never apologized for that, and I really _am_ sorry. I never meant for anybody to get hurt, but you did, and I'm sorry."

There's no way Blaine can question the honesty of Sebastian's words, but something about them just doesn't seem to sink it, like it swirls around in his brain, unable to find a place to settle. "Y-You were _jealous_?"

"I still am sorta," he says, nodding and scratching his head. "I mean, stupid arguments aside, you and Kurt are deliriously and _nauseatingly_ happy, and I wish I had that with somebody."

Blaine is still a little in shock, but he can feel the words soothe the last bit of his hard feelings toward Sebastian, and his lips turn up into a small, promising smile as he reaches for Sebastian's hand. "You will one day, Seb."

Sebastian returns the smile and leans a little further into Blaine's side. "Thanks. Now put that away and watch TV with me."

Blaine closes his notebook and tosses it onto the table, settling back into the couch and letting himself be pulled into Sebastian's side as they watch television in comfortable silence.

When Kurt comes home that night, exhausted to the point of being dead on his feet, he closes the door softly when he notices that all the lights in the apartment are off-the only thing lighting the room is the flickery bluish cast of the DVD player's screensaver. He crosses the room to find Sebastian stretched out on the couch with Blaine tucked into his side, an arm draped over the smaller boy's slender waist, both fast asleep.

Kurt can't help the smile that tugs at the corners of his lips as he takes in the peaceful scene. He pulls the blanket from the back of the couch and tosses it over the pair, leaning down to kiss Blaine on the forehead before clicking off the TV and going to bed.

The clock reads four A.M. when Kurt groans as he feels the bed sink behind him and hears a sleepily mumbled, "Shh...you're gonna wake Kurt up." as Blaine's arm comes to wrap around his waist. Kurt shifts contentedly back into his hold and he hears the smaller boy laugh softly, "You know, this wasn't exactly what I meant when I said, 'Let's go to bed'."

"Don't care. Tired," comes Sebastian's voice, mumbled and slow. "My room's too cold."

Blaine breathes out a laugh as he presses a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck. "Goodnight, Seb."

"Night," Sebastian hums out. Kurt feels another arm drape over his middle and figures that Sebastian must be pressed in close to Blaine's back, because after all, their double bed isn't big enough for three people, or at least, it's not _supposed _to be.

Everything starts to blur around the edges as Kurt feels himself be pulled back toward sleep, feeling pleasantly warm and content.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

By some miracle, none of them have to work on Halloween night. Kurt had come home early from work to find Blaine and Sebastian arguing over the plans for the night. Blaine was insistent that they watch _Halloween_ because it's a classic, but Sebastian was firmly holding his stance of "There's no way you're getting me to watch that shit."

When Kurt walked into the war zone, both boys turned to look at him immediately to argue their cases. Sebastian had stalked out of the room when Kurt sided with Blaine, but they both knew that, when they put the movie in, Sebastian would come slinking back into the living room and sit down with them on the couch.

Sebastian didn't like being left out. Even if all he did when he was _included_ was bitch about the movie being stupid before whining and burying his face in Blaine's shoulder when something scary would happen.

"Kurt," Blaine whines, stressing the vowel and grabbing at the bowl in his boyfriend's lap. "You're eating all the popcorn!"

"Well, you weren't eating any-"

"That's because I can't move my arm to get to the bowl," Blaine laughs. "Sebastian has it crushed."

Sebastian lifts his head from where it's buried in the hollow of Blaine's shoulder only to frown and narrow his eyes when Kurt and Blaine laugh at him before burying his face back in Blaine's shirt.

"Come on, Seb," Kurt teases, flicking the taller boy on the forehead. "Don't be such a baby. It's just a movie..."

"That's not what you were saying when I tried to get you both to watch Interview with the Vampire," Sebastian argues, his words mumbled and petulant.

Blaine laughs and cards his fingers through Sebastian's hair to comfort, but his voice is teasing. "Kurt and I will protect you from the psycho with the knife."

Sebastian looks up to meet their gaze with a fondly annoyed expression, but his eyes looked nervous. Kurt gives him a small smile and slides a thumb across his forehead.

"That's right," Kurt soothes, his voice light and joking, and before he realizes it he leans forward to dart a playful kiss to Sebastian's lips.

Something akin to panic flashes across Sebastian's face and he freezes when Kurt pulls away. It's only when he pulls back far enough to see that Sebastian's eyes are wide and shocked that he realizes what he's done. It had been just a playful, friendly peck, an unconscious thing that hadn't even registered until after he saw the look on Sebastian's face.

"I'm sorry, Seb." Kurt's apology is rushed and awkward. "I just got carried away. I-"

"N-No, it's fine," Sebastian stutters, his expression shifting to something thoughtful. "It was okay. I'm just not used to it, that's all."

The air is charged for a minute as Kurt watches emotions flicker across Sebastian's face. There's a small smile on the taller boy's face that makes a flutter of warmth spread through Kurt's stomach, and he wonders if Sebastian has ever let anyone close enough to let them give him a playful kiss before. He somehow doubts it, somehow doubts that anyone has ever really cared enough to even try to get close to him.

As he watches warmth touch Sebastian's eyes, he smiles softly when he realizes that-for all the people who have used Sebastian or treated him as a mean to an end in some way or another-it's _their_ loss.

He's distracted from his thoughts by Blaine speaking, oblivious to tension as always, his voice light and sounding mumbled around a mouthful of popcorn. "We should watch Rocky Horror after this."

Sebastian's eyes dart from where he was staring distractedly at the wall to Blaine's face, confusion writ across his features before his shoulders sag in, what looks like, relief. Kurt wonders idly about what's going on in Sebastian's head right now. Why is there a small but brilliant smile on his face despite the fact that his eyes look wary.

Kurt wants to ask a million questions, but decides to let it go. "That sounds good, baby," he says instead, tightening his hold on Blaine's waist and pulling him closer until he's almost sitting on Kurt's lap and kisses his cheek.

They lapse back into a companionable silence, Sebastian still cowering into Blaine's side as Blaine rubs soothing circles across the top of the terrified boy's back, occasionally murmuring, "It's just a movie, Seb." only to be met by an indignant, "I know that. I'm not five years old." But then something jumps out and Sebastian buries his face into Blaine's shoulder again.

It's comfortable in a way that Kurt still finds surprising and he finds himself spending less and less time paying attention to Jamie Lee Curtis' efforts to escape Michael Meyers and more time watching the way Blaine's hand has come to rest on the top of Sebastian's hair, threading his fingers through it idly and occasionally eliciting a hum of contentment from the taller boy.

He wonders if he should feel jealous at the level of familiarity Blaine and Sebastian seem to share, the amount of comfort they seem to draw from each other, but instead remembers moving fluidly around the kitchen with Sebastian, both quietly singing along to the radio as it played some bubblegum pop song that neither of them really liked and laughing because they were both ashamed of knowing all the words, remembers how warm and comfortable he'd felt in Sebastian's presence that night and realizes that he feels that same content feeling now.

Watching his boyfriend with Sebastian, his fingers carding absently through sandy blond hair, it's clear to see that Blaine is drawing just as much comfort from the closeness as Sebastian is. He's pretty sure he should feel jealous, but he just can't find it in him, not when Sebastian shifts closer and his arm drapes over Blaine's shoulders so that his hand comes to rest on top of Kurt's back, idly tracing patterns against the wing of his shoulder blade.

Instead, he feels a swell of warmth and realizes that he just feels _cared for_. He closes his eyes and just lets himself drift on the comfort he's drawing from being so close to both Blaine and Sebastian, only vaguely aware of when Sebastian gets up to put in Rocky Horror because the warm hand on his shoulder disappears.

Kurt is half asleep by the end of the movie, and listening to the dreamlike sound Frank singing _Rose __Tint My World_ is pushing him closer toward unconsciousness as the floorshow scene devolves into an underwater orgy. He's barely awake when he hears Blaine ask, "I wonder what that's like."

"What's _what _like?" Kurt manages to ask, his voice sluggish and quiet, sounding more like a hum than anything.

"Sex like that," Blaine answers easily, gesturing toward the mass of wet, tangled bodies on the screen. "With more than one person."

It's just an idle question. One of the questions that can only _not_ be charged with embarrassment and awkwardness when _Blaine _asks it, the soft innocence of his tone taking away any sort of taboo and managing to make it sound just genuinely curious. Because that's what Blaine is: Genuinely curious.

Kurt's too tired to offer anything more than a soft hum to the question, but Sebastian answers it absently with, "It's okay. It'd probably be kinda weird with five people like that, but threesomes aren't bad unless someone gets jealous."Kurt turns his head toward Sebastian at the same time as he feels Blaine shift to do the same, but Sebastian, unaware, just shrugs at a thought and continues. "But, someone always gets possessive and selfish, so it's usually a drag. I'd imagine it'd be better if you were like, _friends or something_ first, but I wouldn't know for sure."

When Sebastian realizes that the room has fallen completely silent, he turns to take in the expressions on Kurt and Blaine's faces and lamely asks, "What?"

But Kurt doesn't see Sebastian's expression, his own eyes locked with Blaine's in a silent exchange of information. Blaine's eyes are wide, warm, and pleading, and it's easy to read the question in them because he's sure the same question is clear on his own face. Just the silently shared question: _Please, can we?_

Finally, Kurt tears his eyes away from Blaine's to face Sebastian. His voice is quiet and low when he states, "We're-We're _'friends or something'."_

Sebastian's eyes fly open and he goes stock still against Blaine's side.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

It's clear to see that Sebastian is silently freaking out, and Kurt immediately prepares to backpedal, but when he opens his mouth, Sebastian's hand comes to rest on top of his own, his voice breathy and incredulous when he speaks.

"No, Kurt," Sebastian soothes. "It-It's not that I don't _want _to. Believe me, I do." His face and tone shifts to something thoughtful and his hand tightens unconsciously in Kurt's as the taller boy's eyes land on Blaine's face and he sighs softly.

"It's just that," he pauses, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a gust. "This is pretty much the _only_ good thing I've got going right now, and it would _kill_ me if I screwed it up." Sebastian's voice is honest and pleading in a way that lays bare his vulnerability. Kurt feels a rush of something protective surge up and puts another hand on top of where he has Sebastian's hand clasped between them in Blaine's lap just as Blaine lifts a hand to squeeze Sebastian's shoulder.

Sebastian gives the pair an anxious smile before his face shifts into something serious. His words come out slow and halting as though he is carefully choosing each word before he speaks. "I _really_ care about you guys, and I don't think I could handle if this just turned into no strings attached fucking, because I've been there, and there are _always_ strings attached and I _always_ end up hurt and alone."

It's Blaine who catches Kurt's attention this time and they share another loaded glance, a silent exchange of what is running through both of their minds.

"What if we didn't want _no strings attached_?" Blaine asks, his eyes locked on Sebastian's face.

Kurt nods and smiles gently, giving Sebastian's hand another squeeze. "Yeah. What if we wanted you _s_trings and all?"

Sebastian looks up toward the pair, and there's quiet hope flickering in his soft green eyes. His voice shakes just a little when he asks, "What are you guys saying? Because, I'm really confused right now..."

With a soft smile, Kurt lifts a hand to cup Sebastian's cheek and whispers, "Come here." before leaning across Blaine's lap to press his lips against Sebastian's in a soft, brief kiss before pulling back and leaving the taller boy looking a bit dazed. Blaine doesn't give Sebastian a chance to recover before tilting his head up and kissing him full on the lips.

Sebastian whines high in the back of his throat as his shock wears off and he kisses Blaine back, his lips moving against Blaine's-soft and sweet-in a way that makes Kurt's heart swell and he has to lean forward and pull Sebastian into a kiss.

"Beautiful," Blaine says on a breath. "You two are _beautiful_."

Kurt pulls away slowly, his lips lingering softly on Sebastian's lips, and he notes the way the taller boy's eyes have fluttered closed, long eyelashes fanning across flushed cheekbones. God, he thinks, Sebastian _is _beautiful, isn't he? He strokes his fingers across Sebastian's cheek and watches his eyes open and is knocked breathless by the vulnerability and shocking innocence he sees in them.

He realizes for the first time that, for Sebastian, this really is sort of _all or nothing_. He's getting something he never thought he'd have, something he'd all but given up on. Sebastian is risking everything to give this-give _them_-a chance, and the reality of that fact is both beautiful and sobering. He and Blaine are going in with nothing to lose. If it doesn't work for them, it doesn't work. They'll still have each other.

But Sebastian has never had friends who cared about him in the way Kurt and Blaine do, cared about him as a person with emotions and vulnerabilities, accepted his little quirks and idiosyncrasies. He's never had anyone who would be there to pick him up whenever he was down. No, all he's ever been is a friend-with-benefits, a means to an end. Suddenly, Kurt can understand the hesitance and nervousness in Sebastian's eyes, can read the plea behind it: _Please, don't hurt me. I couldn't take it._

"Sebastian, if this isn't something you want, we can stop," Kurt says, his voice soft but serious, because Sebastian needs to know that he has an out. Needs to know that he doesn't have to risk this. Needs to know that he and Blaine understand how hard this is for him, and that he won't be judged if he decides that he just _can't_.

Sebastian's words are a breath against Kurt's lips. "I want this more than I've ever wanted anything in my life."

Blaine kisses Sebastian quickly and stands, extending a hand toward both boys on the couch. Kurt takes his hand to immediately pull the smaller boy into his arms and kiss him breathless. The kiss is a thank you and an I love you all in one, and the sheer emotion being shared between them is enough to make Kurt's knees shake.

The three stumble toward Kurt and Blaine's bedroom, alternating between kissing and walking. They pause next to the bed and spend a moment just staring at each other, because God this is _really_ happening, isn't it?, before Blaine rocks up onto his toes and kisses Sebastian as Kurt's lips start to move over the column of the taller boy's throat.

When a soft whine slips past Sebastian's lips, fingers tangling in the back of Kurt's hair to hold him in place, Blaine slides his hands down Sebastian's torso to hook under the hem of his t-shirt before lifting it off and tossing it aside. Blaine's eyes are wide as his hands start to map the newly exposed chest. They'd seen Sebastian shirtless countless times, but something about this felt new. They were able to touch and appreciate, able to feel the hidden strength of the muscles as they worked beneath their hands and lips.

The rest of the clothes are shed slowly, hands exploring each inch of revealed skin until finally they spread out across the small bed, all three achingly hard and vibrating with want as their hands continue to slide across sweat slick bodies. The room fills with soft sounds and pleas of _please, more _and _oh god, just like that_ before the noises ratchet up in intensity as Sebastian slides into Kurt. His lips are wet and bee stung as he presses kisses to the pale column of Kurt's neck and rocks his hips in a rhythm that has Kurt panting into Blaine's mouth as guitar calloused fingers drive Kurt toward release.

Kurt watches as Sebastian works Blaine over with his hand, the smaller boy's back arching off the mattress and his toes curling into the sheets as he comes. Kurt's sure it's the single most beautiful thing he's ever seen, and then Sebastian angles his next thrust just right and Kurt is spilling over Blaine's fist and his own stomach as Sebastian rocks into him once, twice, three times more before stilling and coming with a quiet gasp of _"Oh-Oh God...", _his body pitching forward to capture Kurt's lips in a kiss that starts out urgent and bruising but tapers off into something softer as Sebastian comes down.

Sebastian falls heavily onto the bed in between Kurt and Blaine and the two shift immediately into his side, their chests heaving as they try to catch their breath. Blaine rests his hand palm-up on Sebastian's chest and Kurt takes it, lacing their fingers together as Sebastian drops a kiss to the top of Blaine's curls.

It's one of those moments when _nothing_ needs to be said. The silence is warm and comfortable, safe and perfect, and they drift to sleep slowly, tangled together, sated and absolutely content.

When Kurt wakes up the next morning, Blaine is wrapped around him like a koala hugging a tree limb, and Kurt can't help the small smile that touches his face as he drops a kiss to the top of Blaine's head and climbs out of bed. He and Blaine have the day off, but Sebastian is already gone to work, and Kurt laughs softly to himself as he wonders whether or not he's ever going to be able to properly wake up next to Sebastian.

His mind drifts to a fantasy of the three of them all having a day off together to just spend wrapped around each other in bed, and his smile turns into a full on schoolboy grin at the thought. He pulls on the first pair of pajama pants he finds on the floor-Sebastian's, his mind supplies, feeling giddy at the thought-and makes his way toward the kitchen to start breakfast.

He decides that scrambled eggs are the best choice, because he feels too floaty and spacy to really focus on anything that takes more thought than just pushing eggs around in a pan for five minutes, so he turns toward the refrigerator to grab the necessary ingredients and freezes as he notices the new scribbling on the roommate agreement.

His hand flashes to cover his mouth as his heart swells and threatens to fly out of his chest as he sees the amendment to the very last rule on the page.

In Sebastian's messy, blockish handwriting, reads:

_No randoms in the apartment __after 1:00 A.M.__. *__**ever**__*__**. :) **_

The gesture is enough to knock the breath right out of Kurt, and _this_, Kurt realizes, is what it feels like to be completely and totally happy. He turns when he hears Blaine's sleepy, shuffling footsteps and smiles when he sees that the boy is actually wearing _his_ pajama bottoms. That perfect contented feeling spreads through Kurt again and he walks forward to pull Blaine into his arms, because, god, he just _has _to.

Breakfast an entirely forgotten plan, Kurt kisses Blaine on the cheek before pulling back with a warm smile and saying, "Come on, let's go take a shower."

Blaine's face lights up and he takes Kurt's hand, lifting it to press a kiss against the back, before leading them both toward the bathroom at the end of the hall, wrapping his arms around Kurt's neck and kissing him deeply as he nudges the door shut with his foot.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

By mid-November, it's finally consistently cold enough in New York to justify packing away the last of the short sleeved shirts. Kurt takes the final load of summer clothes out of the dryer-There's no point in packing them away without washing them first-and carries the basket into their bedroom to dump the clean clothes onto the bed to be folded.

Kurt sits down cross-legged on the queen-sized bed and starts to sort the laundry, setting Blaine's shirts in one pile and Sebastian's in another. He sets his own clothes aside to be packed later, because they take a lot more care than Blaine's henleys or Sebastian's polos.

He picks up one of Sebastian's shirts and holds the fabric to his nose, breathing in the scent of detergent, fabric softener, and the faint hint of Sebastian's cologne that never seems to completely fade from his clothes. He's hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia as the scent fills his senses, and he lets his mind wander as he goes about folding the laundry.

He remembers Sebastian coming home the day after they first decided to give _them_ a chance. He made a surprisingly quiet entrance and stood awkwardly in the kitchen, his eyes darting between Kurt cooking dinner and Blaine watching the news on the couch. Sebastian's hand was rubbing nervously at the back of his neck, and he jumped at the sound of Kurt's voice.

"Are you lost, Seb?" Kurt had asked, laughing softly as he turned to face Sebastian completely.

Sebastian laughed out a nervous sound. "I-I'm not sure what I can and can't do right now..."

Kurt smiled and tossed the dish towel aside before crossing the small space to stand closer to Sebastian. "Well, _right now, _you can go do the same thing you do every night when you get home," Kurt said easily, reaching up to brush a fallen lock of hair from Sebastian's forehead. "You can go keep Blaine company while I finish dinner."

A tiny, sheepish smile touched Sebastian's face before he sighed and let his shoulders slump. "We're going to have _The Talk_, aren't we?" he asked, sighing again and looking to Kurt with pleading eyes.

"You better believe it, honey," Kurt said easily, his lips twitching up into a smile as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sebastian's lips.

They'd eaten dinner in relative silence, Sebastian's eyes lifting from his plate occasionally to dart anxious glances between Kurt and Blaine. Kurt took their empty plates back into the kitchen and the moment he returned, Blaine had clicked off the television and turned to face both boys, his hands clasped in his lap.

"Now, I'm sure we all have a bunch of questions," he started. Kurt and Sebastian both nodded and Blaine continued. "So, I think we need to lay down some ground rules."

Blaine took a deep breath and let it out evenly. "I think that this whole thing can only work if we're completely and totally honest with each other. As in, no secrets. We have to talk about whatever we're feeling-if we like something, dislike something, are feeling frustrated or left out. _Everything._ No bottling stuff up until you explode or end up resenting someone. Please," Blaine stressed. "It's so important that we just _talk_ to each other about everything."

Sebastian nodded and wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist pulling him closer. "I like that one," he said, before prompting, "Kurt?"

"Me too," Kurt answered. He stiffened up and looked intently toward Sebastian. "My only rule is that everyone is treated as an equal. There's no seniority or anything like that. We all care about, and treat each other, equally." Kurt took Sebastian's hand between both of his own. "I mean it, Seb. We're not _KurtandBlaine_ and Sebastian," he said, his voice serious. "This isn't like Blaine and I letting someone into our relationship. This is new, and I just need you to understand that."

Sebastian gave a small smile and squeezed Kurt's hand. "I understand."

"Good," Kurt said with a nod.

Blaine kissed Kurt on the cheek before leaning forward and doing the same to Sebastian and prompting, "Seb, it's your turn."

"I...uh...don't really have a rule," Sebastian started with a short, self-conscious laugh. "It's just sort of something I'm asking..."

Blaine shifted further into Sebastian's side and kissed the side of his neck, rubbing a hand across the top of the taller boy's back with anxious eyes. "What is it, Seb?"

It was easy to see how nervous Sebastian was. Everything about his posture radiated discomfort and vulnerability, but there was determination in his eyes. Kurt still wonders whether or not he will ever understand how much it actually took for Sebastian to open up the way he did.

Sebastian took a deep breath that came out shaky on the exhale and cast his eyes to his and Kurt's intertwined hands, watching as he played with Kurt's fingers anxiously.

"You're not allowed to get bored of me," Sebastian mumbled toward his hands. He looked up when his words were met by absolute silence. "I _really_ care about you guys, and it would really hurt if we got into this thing only to find that I was only good for spicing up your sex life."

"_Sebastian,_" Kurt breathed, leaning forward to rest his hand against Sebastian's cheek and kiss him lightly on the lips. "That's not what this is..."

"I-I know, but..." He took another steadying breath and glanced back down toward his hands. Blaine put a finger under his chin to tilt his head up.

"You don't need to be embarrassed or anything, Seb. Just talk." Blaine punctuated his words with a quick kiss to Sebastian's lips, the action met with a small smile.

"Okay," Sebastian started, reaching out to take one of Blaine's hands as well. "It's just that...I've never really wanted _anything_ as much as I want this, so I'm in it for the long-haul if you guys are." He straightened up and his expression turned deeply serious. "But if you're not _one-hundred percent sure _that this is-that _I am-exactly_ what you want, then we can pretend that last night was just for fun and move on, because if we do this, and you guys end up losing interest in me, I'm pretty sure I'll be crushed, so, _for me_, please be sure."

Sebastian pulled in a deep breath and let it out, his body relaxing visibly. "So, I guess my rule is-and I never thought I'd hear _these_ words leave my mouth-this can't just be about sex. If we have sex, whether it's separately _or_ together, it _has_ to mean something."

There had been kisses and reassurances after Sebastian's speech, promises of _We'll never get tired of you_ and _Of course it will always mean something_ that left Sebastian's eyes looking suspiciously bright and warm.

The charged atmosphere fell away as quickly as it had come and soon they found themselves curled up together on the couch, conversationally discussing less emotional issues.

Sebastian looked up from where Blaine's head was pillowed against his leg and turned toward Kurt and asked, "So, what exactly are we?"

"I figure," Kurt answered, his fingers carding idly through Blaine's curls. "the best way to look at it is that you and Blaine are equally my boyfriends, just like Blaine and I are yours."

Sebastian nodded his comprehension and the room was silent for a beat before Blaine spoke. "So, since we're equally boyfriends, what are the rules going to be as far as kissing and sex?" He shifted and propped himself up on an elbow to look toward Kurt. "I mean...Do we have to make sure-say I wanted to kiss you-would I have to ask Seb if it was okay?"

Kurt laughed softly and leaned forward to kiss Blaine on the lips as Sebastian started speaking.

"I think that would get a little tedious after a while, don't you think?" he asked, his voice amused. "Why don't we go with the general rule: Don't be a selfish dick?" Sebastian smiled down toward Blaine and rested his hand on top of Blaine's hair. "If I want to kiss Kurt or touch him, I don't have to ask permission. But the rule would sort of dictate that I don't just lavish attention on Kurt and ignore you completely."

Kurt nodded his agreement and Sebastian continued. "And why the hell would I want to do that anyway?" he asked, leaning down to kiss Blaine on the forehead. "I'm here because I care about, and want to be with, both of you," he said earnestly. "And, of course, it goes back to what you said. If anyone feels left out, they should say something."

The room fell comfortably silent as they thought about Sebastian's words. Finally, after a minute or so, Kurt asked, "So...what do we say that we are?"

"I'd like to say that you're my _boyfriends_," Sebastian answered, and Blaine nodded fervently.

Sebastian pulled in an incredulous breath, his words coming out on the exhale. "God, we're really doing this, aren't we?"

"We are," Kurt and Blaine answered simultaneously. Sebastian rolled his eyes and muttered something about an old married couple before cracking up himself.

Blaine rolled off of his boyfriends' laps and stood in front of the couch with a hand extended. "Come on, let's go to bed."

As Kurt and Blaine entered their bedroom without a thought, Sebastian paused in the hallway, looking all at once, completely unsure of where he stood. It took less than a minute before Blaine looked around himself for Sebastian before spotting him standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Jesus, Seb," Blaine laughed, crossing over to pull Sebastian into their bedroom. "Come to bed."

The smile that lit up Sebastian's face had been nothing short of breathtaking and he followed Blaine inside.

Kurt packs the last of Blaine's shirts into the plastic tote he has open on the bed. _Their_ bed, his brain supplies. The thought makes him smile stupidly to himself. It had only taken about two nights on Kurt's mattress before they realized that three people on a double bed was just _not_ going to work.

After a mini bitch fit thrown by Sebastian, they'd ended up trading out their beds at three o'clock in the morning. It had been terribly ironic because after completely dismantling the beds in each room in order to move them through the doorways and getting Sebastian's queen-sized bed set up in _their_ bedroom, they only had about five minutes before the alarm went off so no one got any sleep.

The bed takes up very nearly the entire room, save for less than a foot of space on each side, and one side of it remains perpetually unmade because it's just too much of a pain in the ass to try and make it every morning. Luckily, the door to the closet is a pocket door or else none of them would be able to get to their clothes. As it is, the actual door to the bedroom itself can only open about halfway without hitting the footboard of the bed.

The closet is stuffed to bursting with their clothes, and it's gotten to the point where Sebastian's old room has become a storage room for things that just do _not_ fit in their bedroom anymore. Mornings are disorganized, chaotic, and completely insane with three people trying to move around a room that only has about a foot of space between bed and wall on each side.

Each morning is a constant loop of _Where did I put my...? _and _Jesus, do you have to do that there? I'm trying to get ready! _but there's absolutely nothing about it that Kurt would change.

It's cramped and he always ends up taking an elbow to some part of his body every morning, but it's still perfect in a way he doesn't understand. He's always valued his space, but something about sharing this with someone he cares about-the tiny apartment and the ramen noodles every night budget-has always sort of been part of his dream. He'd never expected the some_one_ he was planning to share his dream with to turn into some_ones_, but it had been a seamless, natural change, and now Kurt finds himself unable to imagine things being any different.

Adding Sebastian had just felt like finally clicking in the last puzzle piece and being able to see the full picture. Even after only three weeks, it feels like Sebastian has just _always_ been there, has always just been a part of the natural flow of his life. When Kurt had told Blaine that thought, the smaller boy had laughed and said, "I _completely_ understand what you mean."

Kurt is so lost in his thoughts that he jumps when the front door slams. His surprise is quickly replaced by a fond smile when he hears Blaine's voice calling, "Honey, we're home!", from the kitchen.

"And we brought eggrolls," Sebastian adds with a quick laugh.

Kurt hitches the laundry basket up on his hip and smiles widely, feeling stupidly happy as he shuffles his way toward the door and clicks off the bedroom light on his way out.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

Kurt looks up from where he's peeling potatoes when he hears the front door open. His expression shifts to concern as Blaine makes his quiet entrance, setting his bag down gently on the floor and trudging over toward the couch to sit next to Sebastian. Kurt sets down his knife and dries his hands on the towel before crossing into the living room.

Sebastian's face mirrors the concern on Kurt's and he has Blaine pulled tight against his side. Kurt sits down on Blaine's opposite side and rests a hand on his back.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

"My parents suck," Blaine mumbles into Sebastian's shoulder. Kurt can't help the short laugh that escapes him at the words.

"We already new that," Kurt points out, leaning down to kiss Blaine's head. "What did they do now?"

Blaine straightens up and looks toward Kurt, his expression bitter and bordering on resentful. "They want me home for Thanksgiving."

"I don't know, babe..." Sebastian starts. "We can't really afford-"

"No. _Just me_," Blaine bites out. "Believe me, you two are most definitely _not_ invited. They've already bought my ticket so that I couldn't even _ask_ if I could bring Kurt."

Sebastian looks pissed, but Kurt just shrugs. He's long since gotten used to feeling like the Andersons' best kept secret. Before Sebastian can open his mouth to speak, Blaine continues his tirade.

"Cooper's going to fly in and they want us to be one big happy family. He's bringing his new girlfriend and mom and dad are _beside_ themselves. They're bending over backwards to include her, when I've dated Kurt for almost three _years_ and I can count on one _hand_ how many times they've so much as even said _hello_ to him."

Kurt pulls Blaine tighter against his side and presses a kiss to his temple. "Blaine, honey, it's okay." The words sound like a promise, because they are. It honestly doesn't bother Kurt one way or another that Blaine's parents don't accept him. He wishes they'd be more supportive of Blaine and his choices, but as far as accepting their relationship, Kurt couldn't possibly care less.

He clears his throat and continues before Sebastian, who clearly holds the position that_ No, this is most certainly not okay, _can speak. "You should be with your family on Thanksgiving," he says diplomatically, squeezing Blaine's knee and giving him a small smile. "I know you miss your brother."

Blaine lets out a huff of breath and turns to Kurt with wide, sad eyes. "Yeah, but _you guys_ can't go home..."

Kurt shoots a pleading look toward Sebastian, and the taller boy puts on a smile that looks only a little forced and soothes, "We're fine, babe." His voice sounds easy on the surface but Kurt can hear the strain behind it. "Kurt and I will just get drunk and watch a movie or something."

Sebastian shrugs and gives Blaine a smiles that's a bit more genuine. Blaine relaxes against his side and drops his head with a short laugh. "That sounds so much better than dinner with my parents."

"You could always leave and go to my house like you did last year," Kurt suggests.

Blaine laughs quietly. "That's plan B."

The tension above the room has worn off a little so Kurt adjusts his tone to something easier. "You'll be fine, sweetheart." He hugs Blaine and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. "Just think, we've almost saved enough for our trip home for Christmas."

A short laugh comes from Sebastian with the words, "Yeah, provided you tell your family by then."

There's no heat or accusation behind the words, but still, Kurt feels guilty and finds himself apologizing. "I will. I promise. I-"

Sebastian must realize what he's said because immediately he's got a hand over Kurt's and is shaking his head. "No, babe. I was kidding. I'm sorry," he soothes before waiting for Kurt to meet his eyes before continuing. "Kurt, you'll tell them when you're ready-When _we're _ready."

"I know, I just don't want you to think that I'm hiding you. I just-"

His words are cut off by Sebastian's lips, full and soft against his own. Sebastian's eyes are warm and honest when he pulls away. "I'm well aware of the fact that you're not hiding me. Trust me, I understand. There's no easy way to tell your _dad_ that you're dating two guys. Believe me. I get it. Were we on speaking terms, I doubt I would have told _my_ parents yet." He kisses Kurt again softly and rests a hand on his pale cheek. "You'll tell them when you tell them and not a moment sooner."

Kurt stretches a little to kiss Sebastian on the lips and mouths a silent, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Sebastian dismisses, kissing Kurt's forehead. "That being said..." He turns toward Blaine. "I don't think that _now_ is the right time to tell _your_ parents."

Blaine opens his mouth to argue, but Sebastian shakes his head and cuts off the words with a kiss. "Just get through Thanksgiving, baby. We'll worry about it later. This is already going to suck enough without you adding in the fact that you are now living in sin with not one but _two_ men."

Blaine laughs softly at the words and kisses Sebastian again. "Alright. I guess you're right. I won't tell them. "

Sebastian rolls his eyes teasingly. "Of course I'm right. I'm _always_ right."

"Yeah, except when you're not," Kurt adds with a short laugh. Sebastian turns and sticks his tongue out.

"What are we going to do about Thanksgiving together? I really wanted to be with you guys for our first Thanksgiving..."

Kurt smiles and turns toward Blaine, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. "When does your plane leave?"

"The 24th at 8:45 at in the morning," Blaine answers.

Kurt nods. "Alright. We'll have _our_ Thanksgiving on the 23rd then."

"Kurt," Blaine says skeptically. "That's only two days away and none of us get paid until next week. We can't afford-"

Sebastian puts a hand on Blaine's back. "Yes we can. It's our first Thanksgiving together. We can make it work."

And, after Blaine goes to bed that night, Sebastian sneaks off to a pawn shop with the antique watch his father gave him that he didn't even care about when it was given to him, much less _now_. He returns to find Kurt waiting up for him on the couch.

"Did you get it?" he asks, standing and crossing over toward the door.

"Yeah. I didn't get much, but it should be enough."

Kurt wraps his arms around the taller boy's shoulders as Sebastian tucks the money into the front pocket of Kurt's jeans. "Seb, you're amazing. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"All the time," he answers with a smirk. "But it always means more coming from you."

Kurt shakes his head in disbelief. "You're unbelievable."

Sebastian smiles and kisses Kurt full and soft on the lips before putting hands on his waist and pushing him back a little. Kurt steps away and turns toward the coat rack to get his jacket and scarf.

"Did you want me to come with you, babe?" Sebastian asks.

"No," Kurt answers easily. "Go to bed. I'll be back shortly." He kisses Sebastian on the lips. "Thank you, Sebastian. We couldn't have any of this without you."

Sebastian shakes his head. "Just go. _I _wouldn't have any of _this-" _He gestures around the room before turning to poke a finger against the end of Kurt's nose. "If it wasn't for the two of you, and I want this to be perfect. Well...as perfect as thirty-five dollars and sixty cents can manage."

"It will be amazing," Kurt promises with another kiss. "Now go to bed. You know how Blaine gets when he's sleeping alone. If you don't get in there, he will have starfished across the bed and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

Sebastian laughs and presses a kiss to Kurt's lips. "Goodbye, babe. Be safe. I don't really like you going out at two in the morning like this..."

"I'll be fine. You worry too much. Just go to bed." He kisses Sebastian again, pulling back with a smile and resting a hand against Sebastian's cheek. "I like you a whole lot, you know," he states, smiling softly.

"I like you a whole lot, too," Sebastian returns with a bright smile that lights up his whole face.

Kurt kisses him one last time before darting out the door.

When Blaine wakes up the next morning, he finds a small turkey and a bag of potatoes in the refrigerator and a box of Stovetop stuffing on the counter along with two less than helpful explanations as to how they got there.

He received a kiss on the cheek with the words, "You worry too much." and he was pretty sure he should have been insulted that Kurt and Sebastian gone behind his back to orchestrate the whole thing, but instead he couldn't find it in himself to feel anything other than warmth over the fact that his boyfriends wanted this to be perfect so much that they were willing to pull it off my any means necessary.

He's pretty sure this is what it feels like to feel cared for and cherished, so he can't bring himself to ask too many questions. Because he knows that, were the situation reversed, he would have been the one sneaking out in the middle of the night with questionably gotten money to buy food for Thanksgiving if either Kurt or Sebastian wanted it.

Kurt spends most of the day digging through the boxes of his things in Sebastian's old room searching for his mother's dishes. He's sure he packed them in his blue trunk, but he can't find them. After having a near-emotional breakdown, Sebastian wraps his arms around Kurt's waist and kisses his forehead.

"I'll find them, babe. Just go sit down," he soothes. Kurt sniffles against his shoulder and goes to sit on the half-set up bed in the middle of the room as Sebastian digs through more boxes. When Blaine gets home from work, Kurt explains through panicked breaths that he can't find his mother's plates.

"Oh," Blaine says easily. "I think I put those in with my stuff when I went looking for that turtle knickknack thing you wanted me to find..." He crosses the room quickly and opens one of his boxes, pulling out the small bubblewrapped stack of dishes within seconds. "Here ya go, baby."

Kurt's eyes are wide as he takes the dishes. Sebastian looks flustered and about two seconds away from strangling Blaine, but he takes a deep breath and crosses the room to hug Kurt. "We found them. They're not lost or broken. See."

Kurt lets out a shuddery breath to try and calm himself, squeezing his eyes shut. "I-I'm sorry, Seb," he says thickly, his eyes brimming with tears. "I shouldn't have freaked out like that, but-"

"No, babe, I get it. They were your mother's and they mean a lot to you. I probably would have done the same thing," Sebastian says softly. He takes the plates from Kurt's shaking hands and gives them to Blaine. He sheepishly takes them and leaves the room.

"But, I made you look for them all day, Seb..."

"You didn't _make me_. I did it because I wanted to. They mean a lot to you, and you mean a lot to me, so I needed to find them for you," Sebastian says easily, thumbing a stray tear from Kurt's cheek. "You've been stressed out like crazy lately, and this was just the final straw. You don't need to apologize."

Sebastian tightens his hold on Kurt's waist. "Blaine feels bad," he points out, and Kurt groans.

"I know," Kurt acknowledges, straightening up. "He didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sure he'll find some way to make himself think that he did."

Sebastian nods and takes Kurt's hand. "Let's go."

They find Blaine sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looks up when he sees Kurt, his eyes sad and guilty. "Kurt, honey, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have moved them. I didn't know they were your mother's..."

Kurt sits down beside him and wraps his arms around Blaine's middle. "Exactly. You didn't know, so there's no use getting upset over it."

"But you were crying, Kurt. And it was my fault..."

"It wasn't your fault, Blaine. I panicked, and I lost my head. It could have been anything. It just happened to be my mother's dishes. It's not your fault, sweetheart." Kurt kisses Blaine on the lips and gives him a small smile. "However, we don't have enough money to order food tonight and I forgot to take anything out, so we're having cereal for dinner."

"How did you forget to put something out?" Blaine asks in disbelief, because Kurt _never_ forgets.

"He forgot because I forgot to wake him up this morning, and he was running so late for class that he forgot to take dinner out..." Sebastian answered. "Do you see where this is going?"

A small smile touches Blaine's face and he looks just a bit less guilty. "Thank you."

Kurt turns Blaine's face with his finger and kisses him on the lips. "There's no need to thank us, Blaine. It just happens sometimes. And there are worse things than accidentally putting some of my things into one of your boxes, considering that, one day, I hope to be able to unpack all of those boxes in an apartment that is big enough to fit the three of us."

Blaine and Sebastian's faces both light up at the mention of a future together.

"Now come on," Sebastian instructs with a coy smile, holding out a hand for Kurt and Blaine to take. "It's cold as fuck in this apartment and I just thought of a way to warm up."

The day is a rush of last minute packing and cooking, Sebastian alternating between helping Blaine make sure he has everything for his trip and hovering in the kitchen in search of scraps of food that Kurt might send his way.

By four o'clock, Blaine's bags are set by the door and dinner is being put on the table.

It's definitely not much, but it's something. And it's perfect.

Blaine compliments the food and laments over not being able to spend the actual day with his boyfriends while Sebastian just smiles, eats, and listens to Kurt and Blaine discuss the color scheme of the apartment they will one day have.

It's all easy smiles and warm contentment that settles in deep and as they're sitting around the table, it's not hard to guess what each boy is thankful for.

When Kurt brings out the pumpkin pie he'd had just enough money left over to buy, Blaine and Sebastian have already found the aerosol bottle of whipped cream and are giggling as they lick the sweet off each others' faces before both teaming up on Kurt. The pie itself is quickly forgotten in favor of exploring the further possibilities of the bottle of whipped cream as they fall onto their bed giggling.

A few hours later, Kurt brings in the pie and three forks and they eat the whole thing sprawled naked across the bed until they set Blaine's alarm for the morning and cuddle up, sleepy and content.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

The wind is biting as Kurt and Sebastian, once again, say goodbye to Blaine beside a waiting cab. There's a chill in the air and a flat layer of thick gray clouds that bring with them the threat of the first snowfall of the year.

Blaine's eyes drop to the pavement of the sidewalk, looking wistful. "I hate not being able to be here."

"We know, sweetheart," Kurt soothes with a kiss. Sebastian nods before pulling Blaine into his arms and kissing the top of his head as Kurt continues speaking. "Call us as soon as you land, okay, and remember that you're always welcome at my house if things get too bad at yours."

"Be safe," Sebastian instructs, resting his head against Blaine's forehead. His voice is soft and caring in a way that makes Kurt feel as though he's intruding on a private moment. Kurt smiles to himself as Sebastian rests a hand on Blaine's cheek and kisses him full on the lips. "Bye, Blaine."

When Blaine pulls back, he looks just a bit dazed, and Kurt laughs softly at the dreamy look in his hazel eyes, because he gets it; Sebastian's kisses tend to do that to a person. They tend to steal your breath and make the world spin. Kurt reaches out to wrap his arms around Blaine, pulling him close, and Sebastian shifts closer, unwilling to let go. Kurt understands completely, he doesn't want to let go either.

Kurt kisses Blaine tenderly on the lips and hugs his waist tight, letting his head fall to rest on Blaine's shoulder. "Goodbye, sweetheart." Kurt kisses him again before pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "I love you."

He doesn't miss the familiar bright fondness that touches Sebastian's eyes at the words. Sebastian has said before that he loves how much Kurt and Blaine love each other.

After an _I love you_ to Kurt and a kiss to both his boyfriends' lips, Blaine climbs in the cab and stares wistfully back at Sebastian and Kurt as the driver pulls away. Sebastian wraps his arms around Kurt's waist and scrubs his hands across the exposed skin of Kurt's arms. "You're freezing, babe. Come on."

He takes Kurt's hand and leads him back upstairs, through the apartment, and into their bed, opening his arms for Kurt to slide into as he pulls the blankets up around them both. Kurt rests his head against Sebastian's chest and shifts close into his side. Sebastian's hand comes to rest on Kurt's hair, idly playing with the chestnut locks.

"It's a miserable day outside," Sebastian says softly. "I saw on the news that it's supposed to snow."

Kurt just hums an acknowledgment and nuzzles against the warm fabric of his boyfriend's t-shirt. Sebastian leans down and kisses the top of his head. "Let's go back to sleep. There's nothing to do today anyway."

"Good plan," Kurt breathes, his eyes sliding closed, the combination of Sebastian's body and the warm blankets pulling him back toward sleep as the chill he got from being outside without a jacket wears off.

They're silent for another moment and Kurt thinks that Sebastian has fallen asleep before he feels a breathy laugh vibrate through his chest and asks, "What?"

Sebastian kisses the top of Kurt's hair again. "I never thought I'd see the day when it would be hard to sleep without having a knee jabbing into me."

Kurt breathes out a laugh. "I know what you mean. It's weird sleeping without him."

"First time in almost a month," Sebastian adds.

Kurt sighs. "God, it feels like so much longer, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It does." Sebastian kisses Kurt's forehead. "Go to sleep, babe."

"M'kay," Kurt hums, nuzzling closer against Sebastian's chest and letting the warmth and comfort of being so close drag him toward unconsciousness. When Sebastian's fingers start to scratch soothingly at his scalp, Kurt falls asleep almost immediately.

When he wakes up, his head is on a pillow and he's shifted back to his own side of the bed. He's vaguely aware of someone staring at him.

"It's unnerving to wake up to someone staring at you."

Sebastian laughs softly and Kurt feels the warm weight of a hand fitting into his own against the pillow. "You're really beautiful, Kurt. You know that?"

Kurt hums noncommittally, but a warm smile touches his face as he opens his eyes. "I thought I had a hard-luck case of gay face?"

Sebastian smiles and breathes out a laugh. "I was an asshole," he says simply. "You were beautiful then, and you're beautiful now."

"Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself." Kurt's smile is teasing and he props himself up on an elbow to look at Sebastian properly.

Now it's Sebastian's turn to tease. "What happened to my meerkat face and giant horse teeth?" he asks with a smirk.

Kurt rolls his eyes playfully and admits, "Maybe I was an asshole, too." Kurt gives his boyfriend a playful grin and slides his thumb over the back of his hand.

"Nah," Sebastian dismisses. "I deserved to be called worse names than that-"

"Oh, you were," Kurt cuts off with a grin.

Sebastian laughs Kurt's favorite goofy laugh and smiles widely, and _God,_ it takes Kurt's breath away to see such an honest, warm smile directed at him. "I'm sure I deserved whatever colorful names you came up with."

"It doesn't matter now." Kurt's voice is a little too soft and earnest for the scene. He smiles gently at Sebastian and squeezes his hand, staring deep into soft green eyes, feeling the warmth and adoration in them fill him up until he can't help but smile softly and say, "I love you."

Shock skitters across Sebastian's face, but it's immediately replaced by something deep and emotional that Kurt can't quite place. He hears Sebastian's breath hitch and there's a soft catch to his voice when he returns, "I love you, too."

Sebastian leans across the small space between them and connects their lips in a tender kiss. Kurt returns the kiss until his head is spinning and he has to pull away, his breathing sped up and his heart threatening to flutter out of his chest. Sebastian pulls Kurt against his chest again and holds him in silence. In the quiet of the room, right after Sebastian presses a soft kiss to the top of his head, Kurt is sure that he can hear Sebastian sniffle before feeling him shift to wipe his eyes.

Kurt turns his head and kisses Sebastian's chest over the t-shirt and snuggles in closer, realizing that spending the day in bed sounds like the best plan he's ever heard. He lets his eyes flutter closed and hears Sebastian whisper out a soft, "I love you, Kurt." and press another kiss to his hair.

_**—**_

The next day is a rush to get everything finished before the stores and banks close for Thanksgiving, and by the time Sebastian gets home from work, it's all he can do to keep his eyes open as he crashes down beside Kurt on the couch and shifts into his side, letting Kurt's arm wind around his waist and pull him closer as he leans against his shoulder.

The end credits of _Jeopardy_ are rolling across the screen when Sebastian's phone rings, the taller boy nearly jumping out of his skin as the sound shocks him out of sleep. Kurt laughs and kisses his boyfriend's temple as he takes the phone from the end table and answers the call.

"Hello?"

Blaine's voice is a bit surprised but he still sounds absolutely miserable. "Kurt?" he asks. "Why are you answering Seb's phone?"

Kurt laughs softly and kisses Sebastian's head again. "Because Sebastian is asleep right now. He came in and passed on me. He woke up just long enough to look at the ringing phone, and then he fell back asleep."

"He works too hard," Blaine notes, and Kurt can almost see the grimace on Blaine's face.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asks, already knowing the answer.

"I hate it here." Kurt remembers getting phone calls at all hours of the night from Blaine saying exactly the same thing. "Cooper's girlfriend is a bitch, even worse than the ones he normally dates, which is really saying something."

"I'm sorry. I miss you," Kurt says in an attempt to soothe.

"I miss you, too." There's a sadness in Blaine's voice that transcends just being stuck in a house with his brother's bitchy girlfriend.

"What happened this time?" Kurt asks knowingly. He's used to the routine by this point.

Blaine sighs deeply and the exhale crackles against the mouthpiece of the phone. "Mom didn't know I was listening and I heard her telling Sandra-that's Cooper's girlfriend, by the way-that I lived in New York with my _'friend'_."

"Did you explain to her-"

"Kurt, I've tried so many times, but it's-" Blaine lets out another frustrated huff of breath. "It's like talking to a wall. They just don't want to hear it. And then, at dinner, dad asked me how my Communications degree is going."

Kurt's face screws up in confusion. "Communications?"

Blaine's voice cracks and all Kurt wants to do is wrap him in his arms. "Kurt, he doesn't even know that I'm a Music major. It's all I've talked about since I was fifteen, Kurt, and he didn't even care enough to remember."

"I'm sorry," Kurt finds himself apologizing again, because he is sorry. He's sorry that Blaine still lets himself be hurt by his family, sorry that Blaine ever went home in the first place, sorry that his parents will never realize what an amazing son they have. "I'm so sorry, Blaine."

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," Blaine says, his voice sounding just a bit less sad after venting. "I went to see Burt and Carole today. Finn's back in town for Thanksgiving."

"Really," Kurt asks. He knew Finn was flying back from Georgia for the holidays, but he didn't know he was already home.

"Yeah. Carole said she was really glad to see me. We made cookies, and we're going to make another batch so that I can bring some back to you and Seb."

Blaine sounds happier now that he's discussing Kurt's family. Kurt knows just how much his own family means to Blaine, and his dad and Carole have come to love and accept Blaine as a part of the family in a way that Blaine's own parents never have. It makes Kurt so happy to listen to Blaine talk about how comfortable he is in the Hudmel house.

Sebastian's head lifts off Kurt's shoulder and he mumbles out a question as to who's on the phone, so Kurt switches to speakerphone. "Blaine, Seb's awake now. Sorta. I've got you on speaker."

Blaine's voice is bright. "Hey, Seb. I miss you."

"Hey, baby," Sebastian says as he stretches. "I miss you, too. How's Ohio?"

"It sucks just as much as it always has," Blaine says with a laugh. "You sound exhausted."

"I'm fine," Sebastian answers, but Kurt can see by the sheer exhaustion on Sebastian's face that he's just lying so that Blaine won't worry.

Blaine isn't fooled. "No, honey, go to bed," he says softly. "I was just about to go to sleep myself. I just wanted to call because I miss you both."

"We miss you, too," Kurt answers. Sebastian nods toward the phone. "Call us tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay. Goodnight."

Kurt hangs up and wraps his arms around Sebastian's middle in a hug. "Let's go to bed, Seb."

Sebastian just nods and takes Kurt's hand. When Kurt comes back from brushing his teeth, Sebastian is already out cold. He stretches out behind him and throws an arm over his middle, pressing a kiss to the knob of his boyfriend's spine before falling asleep himself.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

When Kurt wakes up, it's to the sound of his own teeth chattering. Despite living in an apartment in which the heat rarely works, he's rarely ever cold when he sleeps—one of the many benefits of being able to fall asleep pressed between two very beautiful guys. Now, with Blaine in Ohio and Sebastian, judging by the sound of dishes rattling, in the kitchen, Kurt misses the closeness of waking up with his boyfriends.

He sighs and rolls out of bed, crossing to the closet to pull on one of Blaine's sweatshirts before making his way to the living room to find Sebastian settled onto the couch, eating cereal out of a measuring cup and watching the parade.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Kurt says from beside the coffee table. Sebastian's face lights up and he lifts the blanket he's curled under for Kurt to join him. "How long have you been up?" Kurt asks as he climbs under the blanket and settles into Sebastian's side.

"Not long. Probably twenty minutes or so," Sebastian answers, kissing Kurt on the forehead before eating another spoonful of Captain Crunch. "I made coffee, but we're out of sugar _and_ milk. I know you don't like black coffee like I do, but…"

"It's fine." Kurt kisses his boyfriend on the lips and lifts himself off the couch. "Thank you."

Kurt gets his coffee and comes back to the couch, settling under Sebastian's arm and leaning against his side. "Why were you so tired last night, Seb?"

"It's not really important," Sebastian hedges. Kurt fixes him with a stern look and Sebastian sighs. "One of my friends has this operation going where he helps people move. He asked me if I wanted to help and said he'd pay me fifty bucks if I helped him move some old lady into her condo."

"Seb…" Kurt breathes, turning to face his boyfriend. "We don't need the money that badly. You work too hard as it is. We're getting by."

"Yeah, we're _getting by_," Sebastian stresses. "I don't want us to have to struggle so much. I feel like I never get to see you or Blaine, because we're always working, so I figured if I could help out with my friend's moving business, maybe we could take a couple days off and just stay home together."

Kurt smiles in spite of himself at the idea, because _god, does that ever sound amazing_, and he presses a kiss to Sebastian's cheek. He doesn't want to completely nix Sebastian's idea, but he also doesn't want his boyfriend working himself to death at a job he already hates and then have to go help people move. "Seb, we can think of other ways to get money. You work too hard as it is." Kurt kisses him again. "This time next month, we'll be in Ohio together for a whole week. I'm sure there's some way that we could all put a little money aside every week and by spring, we could have enough money to go somewhere. Just the three of us."

Sebastian sighs and kisses the top of Kurt's head. "I just want to see you guys more. I want more of this." He squeezes Kurt's waist and pulls him closer. "Just being together and not having a million places to go."

"Well, we're together now—sort of—so why don't we make the best of it? We'll talk about money when Blaine gets home, but not today. I don't care about money today." Kurt slides off the couch and heads for the kitchen. "What I _do_ care about is celebrating Thanksgiving with my boyfriend."

He returns to the couch holding two cheap plastic tumblers half filled with wine, setting the bottle itself down on the coffee table and handing a cup to Sebastian who quirks up an eyebrow and eyes the drink speculatively. "We're _really_ going to start drinking at noon?" Sebastian laughs, taking the cup and letting Kurt settle back into his side with his own cup. Kurt smiles widely and takes a deep drink from his cup of wine. Sebastian laughs out a disbelieving sound. "Jesus, babe, you're worse than one of those boozy housewives on _Days of our Lives_."

Kurt's lips turn up into a playful smile. "Honey, _Days of our Lives_ couldn't handle me."

—

By three o'clock, Kurt and Sebastian have somehow migrated to the floor, Sebastian leaning against the front of the couch with Kurt sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest. They've made it to their second bottle of wine.

Kurt can feel the vibrations of Sebastian's chest as the taller boy hums along with the Judy Garland record playing on the turntable, so he closes his eyes and loses himself in thought as he reaches down with his free hand, the one _not _holding his wine cup, to the decimated tray of Oreos laying beside them to pick one up. Before he puts the cookie in his mouth, Kurt looks up toward Sebastian's face thoughtfully.

"What are you thankful for?" he asks curiously, feeling warm and content wrapped in Sebastian's arms.

Sebastian hums out a thoughtful sound before answering. "I'm thankful for this cold fucking apartment."

Kurt's face screws up in confusion and he laughs softly. "Why are you thankful that it's cold. I can't feel my damn ears, Seb."

Sebastian throws his head back and laughs before kissing the top of Kurt's head. "Exactly. The colder you get, the closer you lean into me for warmth." His body shakes with the force of his laughter and he nips at Kurt's ear playfully before taking a bite of his own cookie and talking with his mouth full. "What about you, babe. What are you thankful for?"

"I'm thankful for…" Kurt taps his chin and takes a bite of his cookie, chewing thoughtfully before smiling coyly and swallowing. "I'm thankful for that hole in the shower curtain that's about waist high that lets me see what you do in the shower every morning."

Sebastian scoffs and smacks Kurt on the shoulder, laughing loudly. "I'm thankful for how flexible you are."

Before Kurt even registers the words, he finds himself laughing and blurting out, "I'm thankful for Blaine's mouth." He snorts indelicately and his hand flashes to cover his mouth as a fit of giggles pours out, because _god, he's drunk_, but he's just so happy.

He feels Sebastian's body shaking with laughter behind him, can hear the low throaty sound as it echoes through his chest, before Sebastian holds up his cup with a smile and toasts, "To Blaine's mouth."

Kurt giggles and taps his cup against Sebastian's before draining the last of his wine.

Sebastian takes his empty cup and sets it aside, taking Kurt's hands and lacing their fingers together against Kurt's stomach. He kisses lightly just behind Kurt's ear in a soft, affectionate gesture that makes Kurt feel warm and completely loved, and they lapse into comfortable silence. Kurt just listens to Sebastian's heartbeat for an unfathomable amount of time and just laments that moments like this are so few and far between.

"You know what I'm really thankful for?" Sebastian asks, sounding far more sober than he did before. Kurt hums out an inquisitive sound and Sebastian kisses the top of his head before continuing. "I'm thankful that you and Blaine gave me a chance to talk at that party, even when I didn't deserve it. I knew it was a long-shot that you'd stand there and listen. I was expecting you to throw your drink in my face."

"I thought about it," Kurt admits in a breathy laugh.

"But you didn't. And now we're here." Sebastian holds up their laced fingers before letting them fall back against Kurt's stomach. "I'm holding you and telling you how much I love you."

Kurt turns in his boyfriend's arms, settling onto Sebastian's lap. "I love you, too."

He reaches forward to frame Sebastian's face and captures his lips, kissing him slow and deep and lazy, feeling Sebastian breathe out a contented sigh as he deepens the kiss and pulls Kurt closer. And it feels just like kissing Blaine felt at seventeen. No pressure for more. Just kissing for the sake of kissing. Just spending time enjoying the soft brush of lips and the comfort drawn from being in the arms of the person he loves.

Kurt has no idea how much time has passed when Sebastian finally pulls away, pressing a final soft kiss to Kurt's beestung lips before leaning back far enough for Kurt to see the look of pure adoration in Sebastian's warm, green eyes. He frames Kurt's face with his long fingers and whispers, "Would it be totally weird if I said that I just _really_ want you right now?" His voice is calm and soft, unhurried and loving.

"Not at all," Kurt breathes, standing up and helping Sebastian to his feet.

They kiss and stumble all the way to the bedroom and Sebastian stops Kurt before he goes to take his own clothes off. "No, let me do it."

Kurt feels himself melt into Sebastian's touch as he slowly strips him of his clothes, letting long fingers trail across each bit of newly exposed skin until Kurt's body feels overheated and shaky in the best possible way. He tries to take Sebastian's clothes off but lacks the sensual finesse that the other boy had used and just ends up pulling them off in a desperate attempt to get Sebastian naked as quickly as possible.

Sebastian pushes Kurt down on the bed with a playful smirk and settles over him, kissing down his jaw and neck before letting his lips trail lower in a way that has Kurt's toes curling into the sheets and his back arching until finally, he hears himself pleading for Sebastian to take him. _Enough teasing, baby, please…_

And Sebastian obliges, kissing him deeply as he slowly slides in with a soft moan and they rock together until their both left panting and breathless, Kurt's fingers scrabbling against Sebastian's back before digging his nails into the flesh of Sebastian's shoulders and coming with a high gasp as he feels Sebastian spilling his release inside him.

Kurt lets himself be cleaned up and shifts immediately into his boyfriend's side as soon as he settles back onto the bed. "That was amazing," Kurt hums, sliding his fingers across the still sweat-slick skin of Sebastian's chest.

"Perfect," Sebastian counters, leaning down to kiss Kurt's still red lips. "_You're_ perfect."

Kurt wants to tell Sebastian how much he loves him and wishes they could stay tangled together in bed forever, but he's just too sleepy, so he hums a soft sound and kisses Sebastian's chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat slow to a normal rhythm. "Can we sleep?" he mumbles, nuzzling impossibly closer.

"Of course, babe." Sebastian kisses the top of his head. "Sleep."

"Mmm…love you," Kurt breathes, sated and wonderfully sleepy.

He's sure that Sebastian returns the words, but he's not awake to hear them, falling asleep within seconds, wrapped in his boyfriend's arms and feeling content and safe.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

It's dark, but it can't be more than a few hours after he and Sebastian fell asleep when Kurt scrunches his nose and buries his head deeper into Sebastian's side as the phone rings.

"Seb get the phone," he mumbles, nudging the sleeping boy beside him who just groans in response and shifts further under the blankets. Kurt smacks him lightly but blindly reaches for the phone in the pitch dark room, clearing his throat before answering.

He barely has a mumbled, "Hello?" uttered before Blaine's panicked voice comes through.

"Kurt! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say it! It just came flying out!" Blaine blurts, his voice frantic and edging toward hysterics.

Kurt sits up and rubs his eyes, trying to adjust to the scene. "Blaine, baby, slow down," Kurt instructs sleepily, rubbing at his eyes again as he sits up.

Sebastian turns to face him, mouthing a silent "What's wrong?" Kurt shrugs and Sebastian sits up, worried. "Put it on speaker," Sebastian says and Kurt complies just as Blaine starts to explain the disaster that Thanksgiving at the Anderson house had been and how he'd fled before dinner actually started to go spend the holiday with Burt, Carole, and Finn at the Hudmel house.

Blaine takes a shaky breath before continuing. "So, after dinner, I was sitting on the couch watching the game with Burt and Finn, and I—" Blaine breaks off and Kurt can almost see him running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Kurt encourages. "Just—What happened?"

"I didn't even think and we were talking about the Raiders' game and I accidentally—God, I didn't even _think_—I said that I watched it, but I missed the touchdown he was talking about because of the two of you…"

Kurt looks at Sebastian, confused, but Sebastian has the bridge of his nose pinched between his fingers, clearly understanding better than Kurt. "You told Kurt's father that you were distracted from the game by his son giving me head?"

"Not—Not in so many words," Blaine answers, flustered. "But essentially, yes."

"Oh god," Kurt whines, burying his face in his hands. How mortifying. But Blaine's not finished.

"Burt just got really red and started asking me what I was talking about, and I just—I just _told him_. I'm so sorry, Kurt. I panicked—"

"It's okay, honey," Kurt replies, picking his head up and scrubbing a hand across his face as Sebastian just sits in shock. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Sebastian's voice is flat when he asks, "How bad was it?" He squeezes Kurt's hand, but all Kurt can think about is how betrayed his father must feel after being kept in the dark,

"Bad," Blaine breathes and Kurt groans and lets his head thunk against Sebastian's shoulder. Sebastian wraps an arm around Kurt's shoulders and kisses his temple. "He just walked out. I just want to come home. I want to be in our bed, away from all of this."

"Where are you?" Kurt asks.

"Carole told me I could stay the night, so I'm up in your old room. It still smells like you." Blaine's voice is just a little brighter, but he's still upset. Kurt's just glad Blaine is out of the toxic environment of the Anderson house, even if things at the Hudmel house aren't exactly ideal at the moment. He's interrupted by Blaine's soft voice. "You should call your dad, Kurt. I think he's the most upset that he didn't hear it from you."

Kurt opens his mouth to speak, but Sebastian cuts him off, shaking his head. "He doesn't have to say anything until he's ready. I don't care what his dad thinks—"

"Blaine's right," Kurt says with a resigned sigh. "I've always told my dad everything. It was unfair of me to keep this from him."

Sebastian looks like he's just about to protest again, but Kurt cuts him off with a darting kiss to the lips, resting a hand on his cheek and sliding his thumb across the apple of Sebastian's cheek, hoping to soothe the pleading expression in his worried green eyes.

"Will you take the phone to my dad, please?" Kurt asks, reaching down to take Sebastian's hand. Sebastian squeezes back a little too tightly, clearly grappling for any way to offer support to his boyfriend.

"Are you sure?" Blaine replies, his own voice hesitant, but Kurt just assures him that he's sure. "Okay, hang on."

There's a quiet shuffling that sounds like Blaine sliding off the bed and making his way downstairs, and Kurt can hear a door opening and closing before Blaine's speaking softly. Kurt can hear his father's voice answering Blaine before becoming louder and asking, "Hello?"

"Dad, I'm so sorry," Kurt answers immediately, his guilt burning at him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"_You_ didn't tell me at all," Burt replies, his voice sharp and authoritative. Kurt feels himself shrinking under the weight of his father's disapproval.

Sebastian shakes his head and speaks. "Mr. Hummel, that's not fair. It is Kurt's right to decide when he wanted to tell you."

Kurt looks at Sebastian gratefully and presses a kiss to his bare shoulder before shaking his head. "No, babe, my dad's right. I should have told him _myself_ sooner."

"You weren't ready," Sebastian asserts firmly, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter." Kurt's speaking mainly to Sebastian before turning back to the phone. "I'm sorry, dad."

Burt's voice is firm but there's a disconnect that makes Kurt's heart sink, makes him think that his father has already washed his hands of the entire situation. "You're an adult now, Kurt, and you're entitled to a private life. You're free to make your own mistakes—"

"Sebastian isn't a mistake, dad. I love him," Kurt cuts in, feeling tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"Regardless, it was just a little bit of a shock to hear about you cheating on Blaine and him being so okay with it."

Now Kurt really wants to cry and he feels Sebastian stiffen beside him. "Dad, it's not _cheating_. It's a relationship. The three of us. Together."

Burt sighs as though he's trying to explain something to a five year old for the tenth time. "Kurt, you can't have a relationship with three people."

"Actually, sir, you can," Sebastian says calmly, pulling Kurt against his side.

"No offense to ya, kid, but from what I heard about you over the years, you don't seem like the type to be interested in a _relationship _with Blaine or Kurt, so why don't you just let me talk to my son—"

"Well, no offense to _you_, sir," Sebastian starts, his voice is even but Kurt can hear the steel beneath it. "but you're wrong. I love Blaine _and _your son very much, and the relationship we have is amazing."

Kurt actually smiles at that and kisses Sebastian's shoulder again, shifting closer to his boyfriend, feeling a swell of emotion for the boy who's defending him and their relationship. Suddenly, he actually feels like he can do this.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, dad," Kurt says, his voice more sure than before. Stronger. "but this is what Blaine and I want, and we're happier than we've ever been, because Seb _makes_ us happy. I know that this might be difficult to accept because of our history, but I just hope that you'll give us a chance to show you that we're happy—_all of us_—and that our relationship is _real_."

Burt sighs audibly and Kurt can almost see him lifting his hat to rub at his head. His voice is defeated and resigned when he speaks. "I'm not going to pretend that I understand any of this…" The words sound a lot like victory to Kurt's ears. His father will listen. He's sure of it now. Burt continues slowly. "You've always had a good head on your shoulders, and if you say that this works for you, then I'll give you the chance to show me that."

Surprisingly, it's Sebastian who breathes the heaviest sigh of relief and Kurt just smiles and says, "Thank you, dad. We _will _show you. I promise."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Blaine runs straight into Sebastian's arms when he makes it through the airline gate and feels himself enveloped in a tight hug as he rests his head against Sebastian's shoulder and noses gently along his neck.

"I missed you_ so_ much," Blaine breathes. He presses a soft kiss to Sebastian's neck before pulling back to meet his boyfriend's eyes, finding them warm with emotion and sparkling under the fluorescent lighting.

Sebastian smiles and wraps Blaine in another hug. "I missed you, too. The apartment's not quite the same without you."

Blaine's face breaks into a beaming smile and he stretches up to kiss his boyfriend's lips. When he pulls away, his face screws up in confusion and he looks around quickly. "Where's Kurt? I thought he was coming with you."

"He wanted to, but since you bumped up your flight, he wasn't able to get out of work like we thought he would. He got stuck with Dana's shift."

Blaine nods at Sebastian's explanation, understanding. So many people at the diner had quit that it's nearly impossible for Kurt to get out of work, whether it be for a day off or being asked to stay late.

"_But_," Sebastian continues, picking up Blaine's suitcase with one hand and slotting the other into Blaine's hand. "I promised I'd take you by the diner so he could see you."

After a quick stop by the apartment to drop off Blaine's bag, they walk the necessary few blocks to get to the diner. It's snowing now. Not quite enough to stick to the ground but enough to linger for just a few seconds on Blaine's curls, the chill of the air biting at his cheeks and making them flush red, and Sebastian kind of hates himself for all the stupidly romantic thoughts swirling through his head. They're almost nauseating and of course, he'll never act on them, because there's nothing cute or romantic about being snowed on and freezing in New York city, because that would be stupid.

But Blaine smiles and there are a few stray snowflakes clinging to his forever-long eyelashes, the lights of the city playing in his eyes as the city buzzes with life around them. There's Christmas music playing from the shop they're passing, and it shouldn't hit Sebastian like this.

It's just a boy. And it's just a city.

Except it's not. Not at all.

It's _Blaine_ in the _only_ city as amazing and vibrant as he is, and goddammit, Sebastian just _has_ to kiss him. So he does. He kisses him slow and sweet and when he pulls away, Blaine is beaming and blushing and devastatingly beautiful, so Sebastian does the only logical thing: He kisses him again, struck dumb and powerless by everything that is _Blaine_.

By the time they reach the diner, they're both freezing and hungry, but all thoughts of food are quickly pushed aside by Kurt running to Blaine's side the moment they're through the door, sweeping him into an excited hug.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're freezing," Kurt fusses, pressing his hands to Blaine's cheeks to warm them and kissing Blaine quickly on the lips.

"Hey, I'm cold, too," Sebastian teases, pouting childishly until Kurt smacks him playfully on the shoulder, darting a kiss to his lips and smiling. "Thank you," Sebastian says, preening, his smile bright and warm as he watches Kurt turn back to Blaine.

"God, I missed you _so much!_" Kurt wraps his arms around Blaine and it's easy to see the way they just seem to melt into each other. "My shift ends in an hour if you guys want to wait..." Kurt prompts hopefully.

"I dunno, babe," Sebastian starts, shifting his weight and pulling Blaine closer. "I think I'd make me feel safer if we just let you walk home by yourself at 10:30 at night in the snow..."

Kurt rolls his eyes, but there's a fond smile quirking up his lips. "I'll by you cheese fries."

"Well, maybe we _could_ be tempted to-_oof-_"

The words break off as Kurt smacks Sebastian across the chest.

"You're both insane," Blaine laughs, smiling widely as he watches Kurt and Sebastian smile warmly at each other. "I'm _so_ glad to be home."

The diner is empty as Blaine and Sebastian finish eating. Kurt takes their plates just as a man walks in and sits down at a table by the window.

"I'll bring you guys some coffee," Kurt says quietly before turning toward the new customer and saying, "I'll be right with you, sir."

Blaine's face screws up with concern as Kurt walks away. He leans forward, gesturing discreetly for Sebastian to come closer. "That guy just rolled his eyes and mumbled something to himself. I think it was about Kurt."

Sebastian turns quickly, but the man is watching out the window now, his foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

"Scoot over," Sebastian tells Blaine, standing and moving to sit on Blaine's side of the booth. "I want to be able to see."

When Kurt comes back with their coffee, he looks curious about the new seating arrangement, but doesn't ask. He's just set the cups down and starts filling Blaine's when the man rolls his eye and barks, "Excuse me! Can I get some service over here?"

Kurt turns and politely offers, "Yes, sir. I'll be right with you-"

"Yeah, that's what you said _five minutes ago_ and I don't even have a drink yet," he cuts in, his voice harsh.

Blaine is a bit less polite but still diplomatic when he points out, "He's the only person working right now, sir. He's coming to take your drink order _now_."

Kurt gives Blaine a grateful smile and turns a bit to see Sebastian glaring at the impatient man, his face tense but otherwise unreadable. He's just about to nudge Blaine to take Sebastian outside when it's all of a sudden too late.

"Well, if he hadn't been in the back fixing his makeup, then we'd _all_ be served by now-"

Anger flashes in Sebastian's eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean: 'Fixing his makeup'?" The man looks taken aback, but Sebastian is undeterred. "Because it sounds to me like you've got something you're trying to imply, so why don't you just say it instead of hiding behind some half-brained insult."

Kurt is once again about to intervene when the man spouts back, "It _means_ that if our _waitress_, here, paid _half _as much attention to the customers-"

Blaine shoves Sebastian until he moves and both boys are on their feet and across the diner in a second, Blaine crowding into the man's space as he too stands up.

"Blaine, stop," Kurt insists, hurrying over.

"Oh, you're the boyfriend, huh?" the man asks rhetorically, his voice smug as he watches Blaine's gaze shift slightly toward Kurt.

Sebastian steps closer, crowding enough to make the man take an instinctive step back.

"Yeah, _we _are," Sebastian states, his voice firm, clear, and threatening violence. Blaine turns his full attention back as Sebastian continues. "And you're going to walk out that door and you're not going to come back unless you want to deal with _both_ of us. Which you don't," Sebastian finishes through gritted teeth.

The man's eyes dart between the two furious faces in front of him and he clearly determines his chance of winning is zero, because he straightens his jacket and strides out the door into the snow.

Blaine and Sebastian both spin on Kurt, surprised to find him watching hungrily, his eyes darkened with lust.

"Babe?" Sebastian prompts warily.

Kurt's dazed voice is barely above a breath. "That was _hot!"_

The three jump with the bell on the door rings as Kurt's replacement shows up for her shift.

A slow devious smile crosses Kurt's face and he leans close to whisper, "I'm going to get my coat and we're going to go home and go to bed. And tomorrow, we're going to call in sick."

Kurt turns and walks away, a deliberate and unfair sway to his hips as he moves, leaving Blaine and Sebastian dumbstruck in his wake.

"How the fuck did we get so lucky?" Sebastian asks on an exhale.

"I have no idea," Blaine responds with the same breathless incredulity. "I was just thinking the same thing."


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Glee.**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Kurt's been hard at work on final revisions for his "What Fashion Trends of the 1920's Say About the of Success of Early Feminism" term paper (which is just about as interesting as it sounds) for almost two hours when he hears Sebastian's keys rattling in the door before it opens.

"Hey, babe," Sebastian greets easily, crossing the living room to press a quick kiss to Kurt's lips.

Kurt laughs softly. "Why do you lips taste like oranges?" he asks toward Sebastian's retreating figure.

"Lollipop." He turns on his way to the kitchen to point to the cardboard stick in his hand. "They had them on the counter in the financial aid office. I figured, if nothing else, I might as well get a sucker out of the trip."

"No luck, huh?" Kurt asks, and Sebastian just shakes his head.

The letter denying Sebastian's financial aid had come the previous day, and Sebastian had taken the entire day off work to go down to campus and appeal the decision.

"They said my dad makes too much money, so I explained the situation and the woman gave me a form that my dad has to fill out that says I'm no longer a dependent. I don't really think she grasped the fact that there's a snowball's chance in hell of my father agreeing to anything that doesn't involve me going back to law school," Sebastian says with a frustrated sigh. "I just—I just don't know what to do, babe."

Kurt shuts the lid on his laptop and stands up, crossing the room to where Sebastian is standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist. "I think you're going to have to at least _try_ to get him to listen."

Sebastian sighs deeply and pulls back. "I know, but it's pointless. He's not going to help me. He's made that _abundantly_ clear."

"Can't hurt to try," Kurt says with a shrug.

Sebastian makes a noncommittal sound and turns toward the trash can, throwing away the remnants of his lollipop. Kurt turns when he hears Sebastian hum out an inquisitive sound and finds Sebastian reaching down to pull something out of the trash.

"What?"

"It's a letter from Blaine's parents," Sebastian explains, turning an envelope over in his hands. "It hasn't even been opened. Did you—?"

"No, I didn't throw it out. Blaine was the one who got the mail today," Kurt says, moving closer to examine the letter. "I know what that is. It's the Christmas letter."

Sebastian looks over toward Kurt warily but says nothing, so Kurt takes the letter from his hand and tears it open, scanning the page only to find one single mention of Blaine:

"_Blaine is currently living in New York with friends and pursuing a degree in Theatre."_

"_Fuck!" _Anger is rolling off Sebastian in waves, and Kurt jumps when he hears the sound of Sebastian's fist colliding with the counter. He wrenches the letter out of Kurt's hand and crushes it into a ball before letting it fall to the floor.

Sebastian runs a hand through his hair and huffs out a breath before turning and grabbing his coat.

"Seb, where are you going?" Kurt asks, alarmed.

"I'm going out. I'll be back. I just…I can't be here right now."

And that's the last Kurt hears before the door slams. Kurt bends down to pick up the paper and tosses it in the trash. He forgets sometimes what it's like to _not _be used to the way Blaine's parents treat him. He's long since stopped getting angry (at least, outwardly angry) over it. Instead, he's just learned how to be there for Blaine.

He crosses to the couch and drops down, taking his phone from the cushion beside him and texting Sebastian. _"Just be careful. Come back when you're ready. I love you." _

There's no response, not that he'd been expecting one, so he goes back to work on his paper until he has to leave for work. He passes Blaine on the way out, pausing to kiss him goodbye before heading out into the snow.

When Sebastian comes back at around seven, he finds Blaine stretched out on the couch watching a movie, so he sighs and throws his keys in the bowl by the door and crosses over to him.

Blaine looks up toward Sebastian and smiles, his eyes bright and untroubled in a way that only serves to make Sebastian's heart ache worse. "Hey, sweetheart. I didn't even hear you come in," Blaine says as he sits up. He points to the television. "I'm watching Chamber of Secrets, I know it's your favorite, so—"

"Blaine, I love you," Sebastian cuts in.

Blaine's mouth falls open and a shocked breath tumbles out. "You—?"

"Wait." Sebastian holds up his hand and steels himself to continue. He sits down and reaches forward to put his hands on Blaine's shoulders, looking him in the eyes. "You're funny and compassionate and caring and _beautiful_ in every single way, and if your parents can't see that then they're fucking stupid. They have no idea what they're missing by not really knowing who you are."

Blaine's eyes have filled with tears and he's hit with an overwhelming feeling of incredulity that nearly knocks him breathless. He surges forward and throws his arms around Sebastian's neck, not really hugging, just clinging to the warm support of his boyfriend.

Sebastian's hand comes to rest on the back of his head to hold him closer. "You're so amazing, Blaine. I don't even think _you_ see if half the time." He kisses Blaine's temple. "I love you."

"I love you, too." The words come out as a whisper but their truth is staggering, because, just as it had been with Kurt, the realization that _'God, I'm in love with Sebastian!'_ hits him out of the blue. They'd been getting closer and, okay, now that he thinks about it, it had obviously been building to this, but _wow_. He's in Sebastian's arms and, right now, there's no where else he'd rather be.

He doesn't understand what prompted the sudden heartfelt speech from Sebastian, but honestly, he can't bring himself to care. He's never felt closer to Sebastian than he does in this moment, so he just lets himself be inexplicably comforted, feeling the soft press of Sebastian's lips against his hair.

Sebastian takes to kissing the side of Blaine's neck in a way that sends a flood of warmth washing over him and has him tilting his head to the side to allow for better access. He feels Sebastian's lips moving over his neck, murmuring soft praises and endearments into the skin and in that moment, Blaine feels so completely loved and cherished that he has to swallow against a lump in his throat from the swell of emotions that fills him.

"Seb," Blaine says softly, pulling away from his boyfriend's lips. Sebastian refuses to be discouraged and follows Blaine's movement in order to keep pressing kisses to the column of his neck, but he does hum out an acknowledgment, so Blaine continues. "Seb, baby, stop. Let's—" Blaine swallows thickly again and pulls away further, tilting Sebastian's chin up with his finger. "Let's go to bed."

Sebastian shifts away enough for Blaine to truly see his face. His darkened green eyes are sparkling with emotion and Blaine can't help but feel a fresh wave of affection fill him when he realizes that the emotion is directed at _him_. Sebastian just looks vulnerable and so goddamn beautiful when he bites his lip and nods before stuttering out, "O-Okay."

It happens in a rush. There's none of the slow, lingering touches that Sebastian had shared with Kurt. Everything about tonight is just holding Blaine as tightly as possible and showing him that he is loved and appreciated. Clothes are shed on the way to the bedroom and, by the time they get through the door, Sebastian is hitching Blaine up onto the bed and burying his nose in the crook of Blaine's neck, loving the way guitar-calloused fingers tighten in his hair as he mouths over the dip of Blaine's collarbone before kissing a path down Blaine's body to where he's hard and aching against his stomach.

"So beautiful, Blaine. You're so fucking beautiful," Sebastian breathes against the heated skin of Blaine's hip before pulling back to make short work of getting Blaine ready and surging forward to kiss him deeply.

Blaine's arms wrap around Sebastian's shoulders and his head falls back, baring his throat for Sebastian's lips, as Sebastian slides inside him, maybe a little too fast and a little hard but completely perfect as they move together.

It doesn't take long before kisses devolve into harsh panting and Blaine's hands are scrabbling against Sebastian's back as he gets close, whining high in his throat as Sebastian rocks into him relentlessly, the headboard of the bed clattering against the wall with each thrust until they're both coming hard and Sebastian's arms give out, causing him to collapse heavily onto Blaine's spent body as they both try to calm their breathing.

When Sebastian finally rolls off, Blaine doesn't let him get far, tightening his hold on Sebastian's shoulders and pulling him flush against his side. "Oh my God," Blaine tries breathlessly, pressing a kiss to the top of Sebastian's head.

Sebastian just hums out a contented sound in agreement and shifts closer into Blaine's side, wrapping his arms tightly around Blaine's body. "I love you so much, Blaine. Know that."

"I know, sweetheart." He drops a kiss to Sebastian's hair. "I love you, too."

Blaine lets his eyes slip closed, reveling in the calm warmth of his boyfriend's arms, feeling contentment sink in bone-deep as he feels himself drifting off to sleep to the sound of Sebastian's restful, even breaths.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always appreciated! :) **


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

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"Hey, dad, it's Sebastian again. I'm sure that you know, as you no doubt have heard from the last fifty messages I've left, this is very important to me. I'm not asking for any money. I just need you to sign a paper and you never have to hear from me again…Just call me back and I can fax the paper to you and this can all be over." Sebastian sighs, defeated. "Just—Just call me back."

He ends the call and lets the phone fall to his lap, lifting his hand to rub at his tired eyes.

Kurt's voice comes from by the door and makes Sebastian jump. "Still no luck?"

"He's still ignoring me." The words are all contempt and thinly veiled sadness. "I just don't know what is so abhorrent about me being a writer, Kurt. It's like I told him I wanted to become a fucking stripper or something." He takes another breath and steadies himself, resignation in his tone. "I think I'd just be better off giving up and getting a second job. Hopefully, with the extra money coming in, I could get back into school next year—"

"You're not getting a second job." Kurt's shaking his head and his words ring with finality. "You work too hard as it is. I'm sure that we can talk to your father when we get back to Ohio this weekend."

"You don't know my dad, Kurt. Once he makes up his mind about something, that's it." Sebastian laughs once without humor. "I'm the disappointment of the family now."

Kurt wraps his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders and kisses his temple before soothing a hand through his messy hair. "You're not a disappointment, Seb." Kurt kisses him again and Sebastian relaxes just a little. "I think it's pretty damn brave what you're doing."

Sebastian's lips quirk up into a small smile. "Brave?"

"Yes, brave," Kurt affirms. "You stood up to your father and took control of your own life. You knew what was going to happen, but you did it anyway because you knew what _you_ needed. I can't imagine how hard it was for you to stand up to your dad, but you did it. And that makes you _brave_, Sebastian."

"I love you, Kurt," Sebastian says, his quiet voice emotional and just a little awestruck.

Kurt's face lights up into a smile. "I love you, too, Seb."

Sebastian throws himself forward and pushes Kurt down onto the cushions of the couch, kissing him full and passionate and deep until both of their heads are swimming with it before breaking away and laughing self-consciously. "Sorry, babe."

"If I didn't have to leave for work in ten minutes, I wouldn't have let you stop," Kurt teases, a small flirty smile on his lips that sends a shudder of something warm down Sebastian's spine. He darts another kiss to Kurt's lips as a response before helping Kurt sit up.

Kurt strips off his shirt in the middle of the living room as he makes his way to the bedroom. "I'm going to be late enough as it is," he complains, calling over his shoulder. It's unnecessary, because Sebastian is on his feet and following behind him.

"I was gonna ask about that, actually. Where were you?" Sebastian inquires, dropping down onto the bed and watching Kurt change into his work uniform. "You were supposed to be home half an hour ago."

Kurt shrugs on his work shirt and smiles, darting a kiss to Sebastian's lips before disappearing out of the room, leaving Sebastian sitting confused on the bed for just a second before reappearing with a small paper bag. "I was finishing up Blaine's Christmas present."

"I thought we weren't going to do presents this year. We can't afford it." Sebastian whines.

Kurt waves a dismissive hand. "I told you, I _made_ Blaine's present and yours barely cost a dollar."

"You got me a present?" Sebastian's voice is excited in a way that stands in stark contrast to his earlier words. He clears his throat before adding, "I mean, thank you for getting me something, but you didn't have to spend money on me."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "I told you, it was barely a dollar. I got it second hand, and don't tell me that you didn't get something for Blaine and I. Remember who puts your clothes away. I've seen your underwear drawer."

Sebastian throws his head back and laughs. "Alright, maybe I did get you both something."

"Good. Then you don't get to say another word about me buying anything. Now, do you want to see what I got Blaine or not?"

—

As it would turn out, carrying a small Charlie Brown-esque Christmas tree during rush hour on the subway is not an easy task, but once they got it home—only a few of the punier branches having been lost—they set it up on an end table by the window and decorate it with cheap ornaments and string lights that Sebastian found at a thrift store.

They end up laughing more than actually decorating the tree, but as the wine flows steady, they fall onto the couch and watch the lights sparkling off the glass of the window as the snow falls. It's not exactly a picture suitable for a postcard, but it's their pitiful and lopsided tree that they decorated together, so Kurt takes a picture of Blaine and Sebastian smiling in front of it anyway before setting the camera down and getting a picture of the three of them.

Their flight leaves in the morning to take them back to Ohio, so tonight they've planned to exchange gifts and enjoy their first _sort of _Christmas together.

"Blaine, open yours first," Kurt suggests, pushing two small boxes toward Blaine as Sebastian pulls him closer against his side.

A bright smile touches Blaine's face and he voices the obligatory _You didn't have to…_ before Sebastian tells him to just shut up and open the boxes, kissing him on the temple to take the sting out of his words. Blaine takes the smaller of the two boxes first, a flat rectangular box that is wrapped neatly in shiny red paper and looks like it might have once upon a time held a necklace. "This one's from Kurt," Blaine announces with a smile as he lifts the lid off the box and gasps softly.

"It's a bowtie to match my favorite sweater vest," Blaine gushes. Sebastian's sure he doesn't understand the reason why Blaine looks so touched over a bowtie, but whatever makes him happy. "Kurt…" Blaine drawls with a wide smile, leaning over Sebastian's lap to kiss Kurt on the lips.

"I know how much you love that vest, and I know you could never find a tie to match it, so I found some fabric lying around the studio and I made you one." Kurt's voice is warm and cheerful and Blaine kisses him again before pulling back and picking up Sebastian's present.

He lifts the lid off the small unwrapped square box and smiles brightly at the thin, woven leather bracelet inside. "Seb, I love it!" He throws his arms around Sebastian's shoulders and kisses him on the lips before holding his arm out for Sebastian to tie the bracelet on. He kisses Sebastian again and hands he and Kurt a present. "Here, these are for you." He scrunches up his nose. "I didn't have any money, so I just kind of had to make you both something…"

It's a CD with their names written on the front of the jewel case surrounded by a heart.

"It's just me playing stupid love songs on piano and singing, and they're both the same, but…"

He's silenced by two sets of arms wrapping around him at once and his face lights up in a smile.

"It's perfect, Blaine," Kurt says softly, kissing him on the lips as Sebastian nods his agreement.

All that's left are Kurt and Sebastian's presents for each other and they exchange them with a grin. Sebastian's smile widens. "Open them together?"

Kurt laughs and nods. "1, 2, 3…"

They tear the paper off. Sebastian is the first to see what his gift is—a much abused copy of The Fountainhead.

"You said you hadn't read it yet, so I went out and found it for you," Kurt admits, pausing with his hand on the lid of the garment box in his lap. Sebastian leans over and kisses him.

"I love it, babe. I'll read it on the plane." He rests his hand on Kurt's cheek and kisses him again. "Okay, now open yours." Kurt lifts the lid off the box and raises a hand to cover his mouth when he sees what's inside, a soft scarf in varying shades of blue. "I saw it in the store and it matched your eyes and I thought it would look good with your skin color, because I know how you buy all your clothes so that they—"

He's cut off by Kurt's lips against his own, turned up into a smile as they kiss. "It's beautiful, Seb."

They're all warm and smiling as the boxes get set onto the coffee table and they cuddle on the couch, watching the tree in the dimly lit apartment and just enjoying each others' presence in the rare moments they get together.

"I really love you both," Blaine says, his voice quiet and sleepy. "I've never been so happy in my life, and it's because of you guys."

Kurt tightens his arms around Blaine. "I know what you mean. I wish it could be like this all the time. We could all quit working and just stay on the couch forever."

Sebastian laughs quietly. "Wouldn't you rather be in bed?"

"I like his idea better," Blaine laughs, the sound warm and content, and Kurt tilts his head up to kiss Sebastian's jaw. Blaine shifts to his feet and holds out his hand. "It's getting late anyway."

Kurt sighs and lets Blaine pull him off the couch, Sebastian close behind, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and nosing along the crook of his neck. "I love you," he murmurs into the side of Kurt's neck before lifting his head and kissing Blaine on the lips. "I love _you_, too."

Blaine smiles and steps in closer, wrapping his arms around both boys until Kurt is trapped between them both. "Let's go to bed."

Sebastian leans in and kisses Blaine on the lips, slow and building as they make their way to the bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: I didn't realize this until I consulted the almighty outline, but there is only one more real chapter after this one and then the epilogue. It's almost over. ;_; Reviews are always appreciated!**


	18. Chapter 17

**This is it. Thank you all for sticking with me! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading half as much as I've enjoyed writing. :) I've included the epilogue in this chapter, so this is going to be the end, ladies and jellyspoons. :)**

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**Chapter Seventeen**

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It's a short flight from New York to Ohio and the drive from the airport passes quickly with the buzz of anticipation crackling through the air. Blaine is chattering excitedly in the back seat about being able to spend Christmas together with their family. Sebastian wonders but doesn't ask exactly when Kurt's family because Blaine's as well. He has a hunch it started a long time ago.

Someone is peaking through the curtain as they pull into the driveway.

"This is going to be really awkward, isn't it?" Sebastian asks. It's a rhetorical question.

Kurt just breathes out a laugh and squeezes his hand over the gearshift. "You'll make it. I promise."

Sebastian sighs and unbuckles his seatbelt before letting himself out of the car, content with being the one to hang back at the car and gather up the bags while Kurt takes Blaine's hand and leads him toward the house as the front door opens and a small woman in a baggy sweater runs out onto the front porch to wrap them in a warm-looking hug.

He can't hear the conversation, but she's raising her hands to frame Blaine's face and kiss him on the forehead. Blaine absolutely beams at the affection. He notices when she points over toward where he's standing at the back of the rental car, so he figures he's gone unnoticed for as long as he possibly could. He shuts the trunk and heaves their big suitcase over his shoulder and walks up toward the porch.

"You must be Sebastian," she says, and her voice sounds just as warm and inviting as the hug she wrapped Blaine up into.

"Yes, ma'am," he says politely, setting down the bag.

She laughs quietly and waves her hand to dismiss the words. "Please, call me Carole." At Sebastian's smile, she stretches up onto her tiptoes to frame his face. "I see why these boys love you so much. You're adorable!" she coos, giving him an easy smile that makes him relax immediately.

"Thank you." He's not sure what to say, because all at once he feels almost embarrassed, as though it's his own mother fawning over him.

Luckily, Kurt diverts her attention. "Where's dad, Carole?"

"Oh, he's at the garage doing some last minute paperwork." She comes down from her tiptoes and walks toward the house, gesturing for the three to follow her. "He should be home any time though."

Sebastian excuses himself to take their things upstairs and Kurt and Blaine follow Carole into the kitchen for lunch. She makes a sandwich for Sebastian, expecting him to be right back down, but it's been almost ten minutes and he's still not back.

"I'll go see what's wrong," Blaine offers, kissing Kurt on the cheek before leaving the room.

"So," Carole prompts. "You three seem pretty happy together."

Kurt smiles. "We're so happy, Carole. I know it probably seems strange to you, but—"

"It's not strange, honey. Love happens how it happens." She waves a dismissive hand. "Just as long as the three of you are happy, and he's not playing any of the games he was playing in high school."

"He's not," Kurt assures, shaking his head. "He's a completely different person. Believe me, Blaine and I wouldn't be in a relationship with _that_ Sebastian. We've been together for almost two months now and he's been nothing but amazing. We're in love, Carole."

"Then that's what's important," Carole says, nodding. She takes Kurt's hand across the table. "Just as long as he's good to you and you're good to each other."

She changes the subject after that and Kurt is starting to get a little concerned when Blaine isn't back with Sebastian yet when, as if on cue, his phone vibrates on the table.

**From Blaine: **_Honey, you should come upstairs. _

His brow knits in confusion and he quickly sends back, "Why?"

When the answer comes, it sends a cold chill down his spine. It's just a single sentence, but it says everything Kurt needs to know.

**From Blaine: **_Seb got a text from his dad._

He excuses himself from the table and all but runs up the stairs, throwing open his door but shutting it quietly behind himself.

If Sebastian had looked upset and broken the first night they shared a bed together, it was nothing compared to the way he looks now. His face is buried in Blaine's shoulders and there are sobs tearing from his chest, his shoulders heaving with the effort. Blaine's arms are wrapped tightly around the crying boy's middle and it makes the scene all the more heartbreaking. Sebastian isn't one to let himself be comforted.

Kurt crosses the room and settles in beside Sebastian, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to make him look up. "Seb, honey, what happened?"

There's another hitching sob and Sebastian finally meets his eyes. Kurt's heart breaks at Sebastian's face, tear stained and spotty red from crying. "He—He—" He chokes out, his breathing bordering on hysterics. Thinking quickly, Blaine hands Kurt the phone and holds Sebastian tighter, shushing in his ear.

The message is still on the screen and Kurt's blood boils as he reads:

_"Son, I'm not going to sign any paper. I told you that I will not endorse any course of action that doesn't result in you pursuing your law degree. I've heard from Jack Hoskins that you're living in a slum and that you've pawned the watch I gave you for food. None of this would be happening if you had just calmed down and stayed at school. If you want any support from me, you'll go back to law school. See this as your wake up call. You can't be happy living like this, and you can have everything back if you just do as your told. I'm sorry, son, but this is for your own good." _

Kurt has a million questions about how Sebastian's father could have possibly known the things he knows—like pawning watches for a Thanksgiving dinner—but mainly he's just outrageously pissed off. He bites it back and takes a deep breath, shifting in closer to Sebastian to rub a hand across his back in a gentle rhythm.

"Seb, honey, we will think of something, alright?" Kurt soothes. "You're going back to school. You're going to be a writer. And you're going to make enough money selling your first book to never have to rely on your father for anything."

Sebastian chokes on a hiccup and looks up toward Kurt, his eyes devastatingly sad. "L-Love you… "

Kurt kisses him on the forehead. "I love you, too."

There are still tears streaming down Sebastian's cheeks but they both know better than to ask him to talk about it. Sebastian isn't one to discuss his emotions and hurt freely, so they sit in silence, Blaine holding Sebastian and shushing quietly in his ear as Kurt soothes him by sliding his hand across his back until his breathing evens out.

Now that Sebastian has cried himself out—actually cried himself to sleep—Kurt lets his anger take hold again. He kisses Sebastian on the forehead and Blaine on the lips before sliding off the bed and crossing the room, unzipping Sebastian's laptop case and sliding out the financial aid form.

"What are you doing?" Blaine asks, his voice quiet to avoid waking Sebastian.

"I'm getting this damn paper signed if I have to resort to violence to get it done," Kurt bites out, his voice low and furious. "Go to sleep and just be there for him, okay? Don't tell him where I went."

Blaine nods and shifts himself and Sebastian until they're lying flat. "Be safe, Kurt."

Kurt hums out an affirmation and turns on his heel to leave.

—

The house is just as grand as he had been expecting, more of a mansion than a house. He doesn't let the grandeur intimidate him and he climbs out of the car, striding toward the front door with purpose and determination.

He rings the bell and a well-dressed man who is clearly and unmistakably Sebastian's father answers. Kurt doesn't let himself be thrown off by the judgmental appraisal the man gives him. "Can I help you?"

Kurt straightens up and squares his shoulders. "My name is Kurt Hummel. I'm dating your son—"

The man raises his hand to stop Kurt's words. "If you're here about that damn paper—"

"_I am_ here about that damn paper. Your son does not want to be a lawyer. He wants to be a writer and he's damn good at it. I'm not sure whether or not you genuinely want what's best for him or you're just trying to lay on the guilt so that he goes back into law, but being a lawyer is _not_ what's best for him. He was miserable when he was in law school. Fathers are supposed to encourage their children—"

"Stop right there, kid." The man raises his hand with a derisive scoff. "You don't get a say in this. This is between Sebastian and myself."

"Clearly Sebastian doesn't get a say either," Kurt bites out, shoving the paper into the man's face. "He's not going to go to law school. I want him to do what's best for his own life, and I don't want to have you standing in the way of that."

Mr. Smythe straightens up and squares his shoulders. "You've got a lot of nerve to come knocking on my door and telling me how to raise my son—"

"I'm not telling you how to raise your son, though you could clearly use some pointers. I don't care how you feel about Sebastian or his future. It doesn't concern me one way or the other. What I care about is that you are standing in the way of Sebastian pursing his dream, and that's not something I'm going to let happen." Kurt's voice rings with finality and he crosses his arms, leveling the man with his best intimidating glare. "Now you're going to sign this goddamn paper so that I can go home to my boyfriends and my family, because I am not leaving until your name is on this piece of paper."

The man's eyes narrow to slits. "Do you have any idea who you're threatening right now?"

"There are no threats. I've simply said that I'm not leaving until this paper is signed," Kurt says conversationally before rolling his eyes. "And I'm not sure who you think you're impressing with your 'Do you know who I am?' game right now, so drop it. I'm not intimidated by you the way your son seems to be, and I know people too who are much higher up on the ladder than you are, so let's just let that go. I'm not going to cater to your ego and beg, because I know how much you'd love that. I'm sure you just eat it up when Seb does it—"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't I?" Kurt asks, his voice mocking. "I know that, if you truly cared about your son, you would have picked up one of his numerous phone calls instead of letting him grovel to you for weeks before sending him a text message. That, to me, doesn't seem like something a caring father would do. That sounds like something a manipulative jackass who wants to control his son's life would do. You're clearly more than willing to just write him off without a backward glance, so do it."

Kurt shoves the paper in his face. "If you're serious about wanting Sebastian to be completely cut off, here's your opportunity, because this paper is to say that he is no longer a dependent of you, that he's living on his own with no help from anyone. It says that he has a rich father who doesn't care enough about his son to support his dreams and let him change his major from something he hates to something he loves. Something that makes him happy and that he's good at."

"He'd be a good _lawyer," _Mr. Smythe remarks off-handedly before rocking back on his heels as Kurt explodes in front of him.

"But he doesn't want to be a fucking lawyer!" Kurt shouts, his voice trembling with rage. "He's not ever going back to law school! You know how much education means to him and he can't fucking afford it because you are a pigheaded jackass! Your son is working at a job he hates just to barely scrape up enough money for food and rent each month, and you refuse to do anything to help him!"

Kurt is fuming as he takes a pen from his pocket and holds out the paper. "So you are going to sign this stupid fucking paper so that we can get on with our lives and never have to think about you again!" Kurt is shaking as he forces the pen and paper toward the stunned man on the doorstep. "I am done with you controlling his life and making him miserable."

The man takes the paper slowly, looking more than a little shocked by Kurt's outburst, and he's silent as he signs his name on the line. Kurt wrenches the paper from his hand and turns on his heel to leave, hearing the door slam behind him. It doesn't matter. He's gotten what he wanted, and he's smiling as he gets back into the rental car, tossing the signed paper onto the seat.

—

Things are awkward around the Hudmel house. Burt came home about a half an hour after Kurt left and is sitting in his easy chair when Blaine and Sebastian make their way downstairs. He greets Blaine tensely and asks about Kurt's absence. Blaine just shrugs, lying smoothly and saying he 'just had to run out for a few things' before pulling Sebastian down onto the couch to watch the game in silence.

And that's how the atmosphere stays for almost an hour. Sebastian is leaning heavily against Blaine's side, cuddled in close as they watch television and Burt keeps throwing subtle, appraising glances toward them when he thinks they aren't looking. Finally, he takes a swig of his beer, not looking away from the television, and asks, "So…this whole thing works for you, huh?"

Blaine and Sebastian are caught by surprise and exchange a questioning look before Blaine says, "Yes, sir."

"And you're happy?" He takes another drink.

Again, Blaine answers, "Yes, sir."

There's silence for a moment before Burt nods once. "Alright, then."

Blaine breathes out a sigh of relief and pulls Sebastian closer, pressing a quick kiss to his temple as Sebastian drifts in and out of consciousness, still exhausted from crying earlier.

Conversation starts slowly, pretty much limited to the game, bad calls and poorly aimed throws, but it's something to break the stalemate.

It's not much, Blaine thinks, but it's a start.

—

The next day is a whirlwind of activity, shopping and cooking. Kurt and Carole bake cookies while Blaine and Sebastian go out to visit their old Warbler friends for coffee.

Being away so long made Kurt forget just how much he enjoyed Carole's company. She's funny and sweet and all of the things he always wanted for his father to find. There's easy conversation as they work together rolling out tray after tray of cookies.

At Kurt's suggestion, they run back to the store to buy a few Christmas cookie tins and tissue paper to box up some of the too-many cookies and take to the neighbors, and they're just starting to frost the last batch when the front door opens and closes quietly.

"Kurt?" Blaine calls. "Are you downstairs?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, I'm in the kitchen with Carole."

There are two sets of suspiciously quiet footsteps heading toward the kitchen and as soon as Blaine and Sebastian appear around the corner, it's clear to see that something is wrong. Sebastian keeps eyeing Blaine carefully and Blaine's face looks neutral to the point of being forced.

"What's the matter?" Kurt asks quickly, flitting glances between his boyfriends.

"We've been invited to dinner with my parents tomorrow night," Blaine says, his voice even.

Sebastian shakes his head. "I said we shouldn't go—"

"Seb, I told you, I have to go see my parents. They want to meet you," Blaine cuts in.

There's barely concealed contempt in Sebastian's voice and he crosses his arms. "No, tell Kurt exactly what they said…"

Blaine sighs and looks up toward Kurt with honest pleading in his eyes. "They said they want to meet my new friend."

Carole stands up at that and crosses the kitchen to pull Blaine into a hug. "Oh, sweetheart, they'll come around." She reaches down onto the table and holds up a cookie, smiling as Blaine takes it. "In the meantime, you've got us. Burt and I love you as though you were one of our own."

She pats Blaine on the cheek and he smiles as he takes a small bite of his cookie. "Thank you, Carole." His voice is quiet and still a little sad, but there's a genuine smile on his face, even if it is a small one.

"You're welcome, honey," she says easily, patting his cheek again before bringing a hand to rest on Sebastian's shoulder. "And the same goes for you, Sebastian. You're part of this family now, too."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hummel," Sebastian says gratefully. "That means a lot to me."

There's a playful smile on her lips and her voice is soft. "Call me Carole, please. And you're very welcome."

She leaves at that, and Sebastian makes a mental note to thank her later for cheering Blaine up. That's the kind of mother that Blaine deserves and he's happy that she's in his life, as well as Kurt's. He shrugs his shoulders. "So, what exactly are we going to do? I don't want to go over and have dinner with people who are just going to judge us and hurt Blaine."

Kurt stands up and crosses over to take Sebastian's hands. "It's not that bad, Seb. Blaine and I both know how to deal with his parents—"

"But you shouldn't _have_ to," Sebastian whines, his voice just shy of petulant.

Blaine steps in and wraps his arms around Sebastian's middle. "They're my parents, Seb. Just because we don't see eye to eye…" Sebastian makes a face and looks like he's about to interrupt but Blaine shakes his head and continues. "It doesn't mean that I can just ignore them."

Sebastian glares at Blaine for a tense moment, looking very much like he wants to argue, before he sighs and throws his hands up. "Fine," he huffs out in frustration. "I just wish you'd rethink this, because I don't want you to be as upset as you were on Thanksgiving."

"It will be fine, Seb. I can handle my parents. They don't even get to me anymore usually. That was just a bad day, but you guys are going to be there this time, so…" He stretches up to kiss Sebastian on the lips quickly.

They let the conversation drop and Kurt quickly changes the subject to something less charged. Blaine perks back up and settles down at the table to help Kurt frost cookies as Sebastian watches them both with an air of superiority until Kurt remarks, "If you intend to eat a single one of these cookies, you'd better help us, your majesty."

Sebastian rolls his eyes but there's a smile on his face as he grudgingly picks up a cookie to spread green frosting over the top.

—

They're woken up early on the morning of the twenty-third by footsteps crashing up the stairs and a loud banging on the door that can only be one thing. Kurt's out of bed first and pulling open the door with a wide smile. It's almost immediate that he's wrenched off his feet into a bear hug.

"Finn! You. Are. Crushing. _Me!" _Kurt breathes out, the action difficult due to the fact that all of the air is being squeezed out of his lungs.

He's let go quickly and he gasps in a breath. "Sorry, man. I just missed you! I haven't seen you in forever!" Finn is still smiling as he looks past Kurt and into the room where Blaine is just now starting to sit up and take notice. He gives Finn a small wave which he returns quickly. There's a groan from the lump of blankets next to Blaine and Kurt turns just in time to see Sebastian cover his head with the pillow and mumble something that sounds like "_too early"_.

"That Sebastian?" Finn asks, though Kurt's sure he already knows the answer. Kurt nods and Finn sighs, holding his hands up in what looks like surrender. "Listen, dude, I don't really get this…like…at all, but if you say that this works and you're happy, then I'm all for it."

Kurt stumbles over words for a second. "Finn…that's…Thank you." He hugs the taller boy and lets himself be wrapped up in another tight hug.

Finn steps back and smiles widely. "Oh, and mom says she wants you guys downstairs for breakfast in ten minutes."

The day passes too quickly and before they've really had a chance to prepare, they're standing on the grand front porch of the Andersons' house. Blaine looks nervous and Sebastian takes his hand—whether it's out of the need to comfort him or out of petty spite for his parents, Kurt isn't sure. He suspects that, knowing Sebastian, it's a little bit of both.

It's Blaine's mother who answers the door, pulling her son into a hug and kissing his forehead. "Blaine, sweetheart! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too, mom," Blaine says, his voice quiet and just a little shy. He turns around and gestures to his boyfriends. "Mom, you know Kurt." She nods and holds out her hand with a pleasantry. "And this is Sebastian Smythe. My boyfriend."

Sebastian extends a hand to the woman and she takes it, looking a little shaken. "Blaine, I thought that Kurt was…your special friend…"

"Boyfriend, mom," Blaine corrects. "And he is. I told you that I had something to tell you tonight." Blaine forces a smile and takes a breath. "Mom, I've been dating Kurt _and_ Sebastian for almost two months."

She lets go of Sebastian's hand and nervously smooths over the front of her dress. "Well, Blaine. That's—" She seems at a loss for words, but Blaine is standing stoically beside his boyfriends. The only thing she offers is. "Don't tell your father."

Blaine shakes his head, confused. "Why not? We're not a secret. I love them both and they love me."

"Be that as it may," she says, a forced smile finding its way to her face. "I'm just not sure your father would understand. I'm not even sure that I do."

"What is there to understand, mom?" Blaine asks. "It's a relationship with three people who love each other." Sebastian squeezes Blaine's hand and Kurt takes a step closer to Blaine's side.

His mother is shaking her head. "Blaine, we have been very accommodating toward your lifestyle, but this feels like you're trying to punish your father and I for something…"

"What?" Blaine asks, his voice rising in confusion. "You think I'm dating Kurt and Seb to _punish_ you?"

She holds up her hands and the fake smile is back. "Look, Blaine, your father and I love you very much, and I'm sure that Kurt and Sebastian are fine young men, but the fact of the matter is—"

"No," Blaine snaps. "There is no _'fact of the matter'_ and you haven't been _'accommodating to my lifestyle'_—whatever the hell that even means. I love them and you think that I'm just using them to get back at the two of you for being bad parents?" He laughs once without humor.

"Blaine, I will not have you being argumentative." Mrs. Anderson's voice is stern.

"And I will not have _you_ being ridiculous." Blaine crosses his arms and looks between his silent boyfriends. "This was a mistake. I came here hoping that, maybe, just maybe, I could get you and dad to see that I'm happy and accept that I am doing what's best for myself and my life, but apparently whatever I do that you disagree with is me passive aggressively punishing you. And I can't do it anymore."

He turns toward Sebastian and tugs on his arm. "Come on. Let's go back to Kurt's house."

"Blaine," Mrs. Anderson says quietly, looking defeated.

Blaine turns back toward his mother. "No. I've spent too long trying to pretend like I don't care that you and dad think of me as a blemish on the family." His voice is calm and even. "And I'm not going to do it anymore. I am happy with Kurt and Sebastian. I'm with them because I love them. They are not my friends. They are not my _special friends_. They are my _boyfriends_, and no amount of you denying it is going to change that. So, I am going to go back to Kurt's house where at least they accept me for who I am and don't think of my choices as a slight to them."

He tugs on Sebastian's hand again and prompts him to leave. Kurt fights the urge to laugh all the way to the car but there's a small smile breaking through his control. He's never been more proud of Blaine in the entirety of the time they've known each other. He can tell by the way Sebastian slides into the back seat next to Blaine and wraps him up in an embrace, that Sebastian feels the same way.

When they're getting ready for bed that night, Kurt crosses over to his desk and digs in the top drawer. "Hey, Seb," he calls, getting a mumbled response from the bathroom. "Come here when you get done brushing your teeth."

Blaine is sitting cross-legged on the bed looking more at peace with himself that Kurt thinks he ever has and he wants to run over and kiss him, but Sebastian is coming out of the en suite bathroom, so instead he holds up a manila envelope and Sebastian cocks and eyebrow. "What's that?"

"I know it's not quite Christmas yet, but I want you to open this now." He hands the envelope to Sebastian who is still eyeing him speculatively.

He lifts the flap and pulls out the paper inside, his breath catching in his throat as realization dawns on his face. "Kurt, how did you…?" The question trails off and Sebastian lifts a hand to cover his mouth as he turns to toward Kurt.

"I went and paid your father a little visit, and after a brief discussion over coffee, I managed to persuade him to sign the paper," Kurt lies, shrugging.

Sebastian laughs out an incredulous sound. "I'm sure that's exactly how it happened." He sets the paper and the envelope on the desk and pulls Kurt into his arms, kissing him full on the lips. "You have no idea what this means to me, Kurt." He hugs Kurt tighter and kisses the side of his neck. "I love you so much." There's emotion in his voice and Kurt can't help but tighten his hold and bury his face in the crook of Sebastian's neck.

He barely catches the adoringly flirty glance he gets from Sebastian before he feels himself be lifted off his feet and carried toward the bed.

—

A strange sort of kinship has arisen between Sebastian and Carole and it makes Kurt feel warm inside to see the way they joke and talk to each other, truly enjoying each other's company. Carole spends most of the evening in the kitchen, getting trays of cookies and cheese and crackers set up to be placed around the living room that night while they all open presents, and Sebastian never seems to leave her side.

Kurt and Blaine sit on the couch, listening to Burt and Finn talk about everything that's been going on at the garage—something about a new lift—and letting themselves drift on the warm, homey feeling of the scene.

The Christmas tree is placed off to the side in a corner, surrounded by presents and decorated with colored lights and old ornaments. In addition to the childhood photos in badly made Christmas-themed popsicle stick frames—one of which, a chubby-cheeked, toothless little boy whom Kurt vehemently refuses to admit is his first grade yearbook picture. (There's a similar picture of a four year old Finn wearing nothing but a Santa hat and Spiderman underpants, so Kurt figures it all balances out.)

There's a fire crackling in the fireplace and Finn is starting to complain about wanting to open presents. Kurt laughs and drags Blaine into the kitchen to see how long until Carole wants to start, but he finds Carole and Sebastian sitting at the kitchen table with big cups of eggnog and less-than-sober smiles, laughing and whispering back and forth.

When everything is set up and it's time to open presents, Finn crawls under the tree and hands them out. Sebastian is stretched out over Kurt and Blaine's laps, his head resting against Blaine's collarbone and looking pleasantly drunk and Carole is sitting across Burt's lap in the easy chair, her arm draped around his neck as she watches her son pass out presents before he settles in on the floor beside the couch.

Paper is torn open, gifts are gushed over, and more eggnog is had until there's a comfortable buzz setting in over everyone and the room falls into comfortable silence. Slowly, everyone starts to file out for bed, Burt and Carole heading up first, Carole leaving with a parting kiss to each boy's head, and Finn claims the easy chair, only to fall asleep in it moments later.

Blaine starts to nuzzle at Sebastian's neck, eliciting a contented sigh. "Love you," Sebastian mumbles, his voice sounding sleepy and just a little rough.

"Love you, too," Kurt and Blaine answer in unison, shifting in closer until they're wrapped up in each other.

Kurt lifts a hand to brush a stray lock of hair from Sebastian's forehead before sliding his thumb across the apple of his cheek, feeling warm and happy and completely in love. "We should go to bed now."

Blaine looks up and leans over to kiss Kurt, slow and lingering, on the lips until they hear Sebastian whine quietly. Blaine pulls away with a quiet smack and smiles gently at Kurt. "We should _definitely _go to bed now."

As soon as the door is closed, clothes are shed quickly and they tumble into bed together, kissing and touching, lazy and unhurried, touching and kissing just for the sake of being close until it's not enough anymore and kisses grow a little more urgent, sounds a little more desperate, and Blaine wraps his legs around Sebastian's waist, urging him closer, deeper, faster before his body goes rigid and he's crying out his release as Sebastian's hips snap forward once, twice more before he's finishing, Kurt following shortly after as he rubs against Blaine's side.

Kisses turn lazy again and they fall asleep sweaty but happy and completely content.

—

"I'm gonna go see if Kurt needs any help in the kitchen," Blaine says, kissing Sebastian quickly on the lips before leaving him alone with Burt. Sebastian shifts uncomfortably in his spot. While they've reached some sort of peace, it's still awkward between himself and Burt. He can count on one hand the number of exchanges they've had since they got there.

Burt sits up straight in his chair and mutes the TV, turning to face Sebastian. "Those boys your with," Burt starts, his voice even but ringing with authority. "I love both of 'em and I want to make sure that you've got nothin' but the best of intentions with them, because Blaine's just as much my son as Kurt."

Sebastian nods. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good." Burt nods once. "Now, I've heard quite a bit about you over the years, and it wasn't until recently that any of what I heard was good."

Sebastian waits because he's sure Burt's not done, nor is he looking for input.

"But, if we were all judged by the crap we pulled in high school, everybody would be screwed," Burt adds.

"I apologized to Blaine for—"

"I don't care what you apologized for or didn't. That's between you and them." Burt waves his hand in dismissal and Sebastian nods. "What I do care about is that you're messin' with two kids who I happen to care a whole lot about."

"So do I, Mr. Hummel," Sebastian says because it's the truth.

Burt lifts his baseball cap and rubs a hand across his head. "Yeah, I think I'm startin' to see that, kid. I just need to make sure those two aren't gonna get their hearts broken."

Sebastian shakes his head and his voice is earnest when he says, "I would never hurt them. I love them both and the idea of _either_ of them getting their heart broken by _anyone_ is unacceptable."

The words must have had just as much sincerity as Sebastian meant for them to have, because Burt nods once and his expression is softer. "That's what I like to hear."

They get called for Christmas dinner then and Burt stands up and reaches out to Sebastian. "You keep those two safe, kid. Their hearts are too damn big for their own good."

Sebastian shakes his hand and smiles widely. "I will, sir."

—

Kurt helps Carole clear the table as Burt talks with Sebastian.

"So, what is it you're going to school for, Sebastian?" he asks, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I was in pre-law for a couple semesters, but I'm changing my major to English," Sebastian answers.

Burt nods and makes an acknowledging sound. "What are you gonna do with that? Teach?"

"No, sir, I want to be a writer." The words are quiet, spoken almost like a secret.

Burt's eyebrows shoot up. "Well, that's somethin'. I've never met anyone who wanted to be a writer before. I wrote a letter to the Times once about the arts in schools and they published it as an editorial," he boasts, sitting forward and taking a drink of his soda. "What is it you're gonna write?"

Sebastian smiles widely. "Science fiction, mostly."

"He'll be good at that, Burt. He already lives in his own world. All he's got to do is put his weird imagination on paper," Blaine laughs and Sebastian smacks him on the shoulder, smiling brightly. "He's let me read a few of his short stories before. He's really good."

Sebastian blushes and looks down with a mumbled, "Stop."

"Well, you're gonna have to send me a copy of your first book then," Burt says before laughing and adding, "Just make sure to sign it so I can get rich sellin' it."

"I will, Burt," Sebastian mumbles, still embarrassed. Blaine laughs quietly. He's never seen Sebastian look so flustered, so he leans over and kisses him on the temple. Burt just smiles.

"Blaine, how's that music degree of yours coming? Did you pass all your classes? I know Kurt said you were worried about one of 'em," Burt inquires.

There's honest emotion in Blaine's voice when he answers, and Sebastian can understand why. This man, who isn't even his father, cares enough about him to know how he's doing in school. He didn't forget that Blaine is a music major. Blaine swallows before answering. "I'm doing well. I passed my class. I did an extra credit assignment and passed the class with an A."

Burt smiles proudly. "You've always been a bright kid. I'm proud of ya."

"T-Thank you, Burt," Blaine answers, his eyes suspiciously bright. Now it's Sebastian's turn to kiss _him_ on the temple and pull him closer.

"No need to thank me, kid," Burt dismisses, smiling. "Just keep your nose in the books. You too, Sebastian." He stands up. "Now, I'm gonna go catch the end of Deadliest Catch."

Kurt comes back and drags them upstairs to pack. The flight leaves at 4:00 AM. (One of the woes of traveling on such a tight budget.)

Sebastian pulls Blaine down onto the bed as they watch Kurt move around the room like a whirlwind. Blaine lets his head fall against Sebastian's shoulder. "I wish we didn't have to go home yet. I always forget how much I miss your family until I come back to see them."

"Yeah," Kurt empathizes. "This trip did go really well, didn't it?" He sets the bag by the door and climbs in bed beside his boyfriends. "I mean, aside from what happened with Blaine's parents…"

"I'm glad that happened," Blaine says quickly. There's not a shred of doubt or pain in his voice. "It's just…I've been living to make them happy for so long that it's almost a relief to not care anymore. I've got a family that loves me right here—" He gestures around the room. "And that's what matters."

"Yes it is," Sebastian affirms with a nod. "They do love you, Blaine. I got the talk from Burt—" Kurt's face screws up in horror and Sebastian laughs. "It wasn't that bad. He just said that he loves you both and that if I hurt you, he'd hunt me down and rip my heart out."

Kurt laughs freely and kisses Sebastian on the lips. "You know, the sad thing is, I'm not even sure if you're lying right now."

Sebastian kisses him back quickly and tightens his arms around Blaine as Kurt shifts in closer before lapsing into comfortable silence.

"This is our first Christmas together," Sebastian muses a minute later. "I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd live to see the day that I'd have a boyfriend who would bring me home for Christmas to meet the family." Sebastian laughs and kisses the top of Blaine's head before doing the same to Kurt's.

"Well," Kurt starts, smiling softly. "You did."

"Yeah, I did," Sebastian says under his breath and a soft smile spreads across his face.

—

After seeing Sebastian's grade point average from his stint in pre-law, he got into NYU's English program on a full-ride, and a last minute trip to the bookstore near campus had resulted in Sebastian being hired on the spot. He was there less than two months before being promoted to manager—a promotion that entailed a three dollar an hour pay raise.

Combine Sebastian's new job and pay raise with the fact that the head of the costume department for the off-Broadway company loved Kurt's work so much that she hired him and gave him a slight pay raise, the three boyfriends are now able to afford life's little luxuries like cable and coffee and socks, and springtime in New York—well _late _springtime—is beautiful. Winter semester classes have come and gone, (Final exams ended yesterday.) and now everyone is free to just enjoy the approaching summer.

And Kurt, Blaine, and Sebastian are capitalizing on the good weather and their newfound prosperity to go out for coffee at the expensive hipster coffee shop at the end of the block.

They're just about to leave when a girl comes walking toward them, digging something out of her bag as she walks. She makes it to where they're standing and looks up, pointing toward Blaine. "Hey, I saw your set last night. You were amazing!" She pulls a jewel case from her bag and holds it out toward Blaine with a sharpie. "Would you sign my EP?"

Blaine freezes and it's clear he's in shock. No one has ever approached him before, and it looks like he might be about to cry. He takes the pen and case with shaky hands and signs his name across the front. She smiles widely and asks if he's playing again soon. "Y-Yeah…I'm playing at The Grind on Wednesday…"

"Cool!" She exclaims. "Thanks!"

"Y-You're welcome," Blaine answers, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Sebastian pulls Blaine closer. "You're going to want to hang on to that. It's going to be worth money someday."

The girl waves as she goes back to her table, and Kurt reaches down to take Blaine's hand as Sebastian wraps an arm around his waist. "Come on, piano man, let's go home."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always appreciated. :) Especially while I'm crying in a corner, because I don't want this to be finished.**


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